In trouble

The order issued by the Court of Appeals freezing the bank accounts of our Vice President, members of his immediate family and alleged dummies has added fuel to the fire engulfing the political career and presidential aspirations of the former Makati City Mayor. The order resulted from the granting of the petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council in connection with the investigations being conducted by the Ombudsman on alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II, purportedly overpriced by P1.3 billion.

Understandably, the Vice President's defense is that such developments are just part of the grand scheme to malign his person in his quest to seek the Office of the President. He is currently the only one who has publicly declared his intention to seek the post. Interestingly, such a noble intention of trying to become the next President of our country has produced a fire that is expected to become a conflagration as the elections come. Truly the subject of the fire is consumed and burned by the fire and soon our Vice President will be unable to reasonably and effectively extinguish the fire and may find his work, career and dreams all but ashes. We look forward to the man accused of wrongdoing to present strong evidence and supporting witnesses to refute the serious allegations. As one of our national leaders, his leadership does have an impact on the nation. His troubles may reveal that we are also in trouble.

The war against corruption will continue as long corruption lives. We look to the future demise of corruption in our country when good citizens and leaders become a significant majority. Others will say that such is a state of imagination. Indeed, we who positively look forward to a better country, may be idealistic for now, but remember that the choice to allow corruption and the related fire that burns the moral fibers of our society will breed more trouble for all of us.

Let us end with an anecdote to encourage us to be careful in our choice of who to vote for with the following anecdote. One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week. The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'Thank You' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door. Later, a grocer comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service his week. The grocer was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'Thank You' card and a bag of fresh vegetables waiting for him at his door. Then a politician came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week. The politician was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen politicians lined up waiting for a free haircut. And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.*