Turning around so soon?

Batas Mauricio

FOR the second time, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte voiced out his plan not to run after government officials who had been accused of stealing hundreds of millions of pesos in government funds.

This time, Duterte said he will not run after Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is accused of having overpriced a Makati City-owned structure by as much as P2 billion. Duterte made the statement after Binay called him and congratulated him on his election as president of the country.

Before the Makati Business Club shortly before the May 9, 2016 elections, Duterte said he was willing to turn a blind eye–in short, he was willing to condone–the acquisition of fabulous wealth by officials while they were in service prior to his becoming president, but that the thieves and plunderers must stop their corruption after he is sworn in.

If one is a Duterte fan and supporter, the way to describe these pronouncements of the long-time Davao City mayor is, it is a form “healing the divisiveness of the nation,” by not pursuing those who are being accused of wholesale graft, so unity among government leaders could be achieved.

On the other hand, if one is a Duterte basher, what Duterte had been saying is a form of “sellout to the enemies of good governance” because that, in effect, is giving premium to corruption.

If one is neither a Duterfe fan nor a critic, the best way to characterize what Duterte has been saying about the theft of government money is this: it is really nothing new, for if the truth be told, the truly corrupt and inveterate grafters are not really prosecuted and then sent to jail, at any given time.

And this gives me serious misgivings about the sincerity of the promised “true change” that would come to the country once Duterte got elected into office. The question here would be: if officials who are facing serious accusations of having stolen billions of government funds will not be prosecuted to the hilt, would officials who are similarly inclined be dissuaded from stealing?

Everyone knows the answer to this question, I am sure. And so, I am left wondering: why couldn’t we just allow the prosecutorial and judicial processes to take their natural course so that if investigation and prosecution and conviction are truly warranted by the evidence, then let there be such investigation, prosecution and conviction?

Why do we have to preempt these prosecutorial and judicial processes this early in the Duterte administration by disclaiming official presidential interest in running after the personalities accused of crime and corruption? Didn’t the incoming administration ride on the crest of popular discontent about corruption, criminality, and illegal drugs? Why do we appear to be turning around so soon?

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I know many will object but I am determined to make this proposition just the same, principally because there was already an example of what I am proposing, during the time of President Gloria Arroyo. What I am referring to here is one possible step, no matter how miniscule it might appear to many, that might bring about “true change” under President Duterte.

This is what I propose: we should revive, in a much stronger state and with greater powers under the Duterte government, the Cabinet position which was known as “Presidential Adviser on Ecclesiastical Affairs,” and which was headed, under President Arroyo, by then Secretary Conrado Limcaoco Jr.

President Aquino did not continue this position when he assumed power in 2010, prompting many to ask now: was this one of the reasons why many Filipinos today are considering Aquino a big failure in his 2010-2016 presidency? Was his refusal to provide some spirituality to his government the cause of the many hardships and difficulties which many of our countrymen suffered during his term?

There are no direct and clear answers to these questions at this point, but I am sure there are strong grounds for claims that a prior recourse to God, by knowing His will on anything through His Word first, gives rise to strength, victory, prosperity, and salvation for anyone.

Pardon me for using my own experience as a litigation lawyer who is in court almost everyday, but I have been a witness to the fact that any work or objective that is measured at the first instance against God’s will and commands, through a furious and sincere reading of the Bible, results in God’s direction, benediction, and protection.

I am convinced that, in my life as a lawyer, the litigants who know how to listen to the Word of God and who take pains to obey His commands, are easier to represent, to defend, or to assist, because they are more likely to succeed in their legal battles. What is more, even if these litigants do not get what they originally set out to achieve, are nevertheless gifted with something that would turn out to be more beneficial later.

For this reason, I am asking President Duterte, who is even now making his Cabinet choices, to similarly choose a Secretary whose main focus in Malacanang will be the spirituality, uprightness, and morality of each and every transaction in government, particularly those in the executive department, from the Office of the President down to the barangays.

This can be jumpstarted through the institutionalization of an ecumenical prayer which members of all religions can recite at the start and close of official business hours in the executive branch. The prayer will ask for God’s guidance, blessings, and protection, for all work in government.

The truth is, this kind of a prayer is already being recited by every court in the Philippines daily. The prayer is called by the Supreme Court the “Ecumenical Prayer for the Courts”. In my experience, this goes a long way in removing rancor and dissension among everyone present in courtrooms, from the judges to the lawyers, to the litigants. President Duterte can also do this, for sure!

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com