Eye Opener
By Rodolfo P. Gumabong

The dirty politician and the devil

There seems to be no solution to the on-going problems facing the country today. First there was the jueteng snafu, the “Gloriagate” and now the junket of solons abroad spending more than P60 million in travel allowance, pocket money and happy hours in entertainment clubs in Europe and America.

While thousands of poor Filipinos are suffering in wanton poverty, hunger and disease and ten million unemployed people, our lawmakers spend dollars abroad like water. The deficit of the Philippine economy runs to P37.5 trillion and the Treasurer of the Philippines declared earlier this year that there is lack of funds in the treasury. Investors go out of the country due to the unstable condition here. Students are clamoring of high tuition fees with Ched and DepEd warning the institutions but only in press release not in actual deed. Jeepney drivers and car owners are shouting “foul” to intermittent oil price increases with the government helpless to give solution to stop oil magnates from reportedly adding millions to their profit at the expense of the riding public who will again suffer the burden of additional fare increases. Lack of classrooms has forced students to utilize under the tree classes and now that it is rainy season, most of the time there are no classes. DepEd is also helpless to curb high prices of books in the religious schools which change books every year costing a grade four student to pay P3,570 for only ten books. Why are you sleeping on your job DepEd?

With all the trillions of pesos spent by our solons on junket and unnecessary expenses by our government officials plus the unabated graft and corruption in government, where is the Philippines heading for? Another change in government setup will be tantamount to nothing as shown in Erap's fall and Gloria's coming to power. The Philippine treasury is ransacked by many dirty politicians and government officials. Even the cause-oriented solons who always attack the government on unwise spending is included in the junket, according to a report of a leading Manila newspaper.

Only God's intervention can make our nation great again—free from grafters, junketeers, racketeers, thieves and other criminals who thrive on people's money. Just imagine, a report from the Manila dailies that a Customs police chief amassed millions of dirty money. There are many of them there in Customs, BIR, DPWH, LTO, LTFRB, DepEd, GSIS, DA, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and 20 other government offices. But justice in our country is turtle slow. In Iron Curtain and communist countries before, these thieves are eliminated at rabbit's pace. Dear Heavenly Father, please intervene in the present dilemma of the Philippines, supposed to be the only Christian nation in Asia.