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Part I of “A New Philippine Commonwealth” Series
Today, the Philippine government is mired in many financial scandals. The latest financial scandal was orchestrated by many members of the Philippines Congress, in connivance with some officials of the Executive and Judicial Departments and crony contractors. The so-called flood-control infrastructural projects have been estimated to cost approximately PHP 800 billion or less. But Congress budgeted more than PHP 1.9 trillion for them. Perceived to have been stolen by government crooks is approximately PHP 1 trillion, or roughly US$173 billion (at the current exchange rate of US$1 to PHP58).
In fact, if the fruits of corruption among local government units (LGUs) are tallied with those misappropriated by the national government, the combined totals can easily exceed two trillion pesos every three years or less. The stolen government funds alone from the flood-control scams exceed the country’s external indebtedness.
As of December 2024, the Philippine government’s foreign (external) indebtedness was US$137.63 billion, a 1.4% decline from the previous quarter. It represented 29.8% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) at that time.
Best Option to Eliminate or Minimize Corruption. This columnist has been studying the “art of corruption” practiced by Filipino crooked politicians who have no shame at all in getting rich at the expense of the people. He obtained proof of how corruption was practiced. When he went home to the Province of Sorsogon and ran (unsuccessfully) for governor in 2016, a construction company offered its service to become the favored contractor of provincial government projects — should he win the governorship.
“According to reports obtained by this journalist, an overwhelming majority of Filipino voters wish the Commonwealth days could be brought back. Yes, it can be returned to its original, corruption-free style of governance. This series will explain how the 2028 presidential, congressional, and LGU elections can resurrect the “Commonwealth of the Philippines”.
The crooked contractor offered thirty (30%) “governor’s commission” of the entire project’s appropriations. Then this wannabe governor asked whether the contractor had paid off all the other LGU and congressional officials. The answer was affirmative and, in fact, mentioned the practice of contractors paying a certain percentage to the communist rebels to avoid blockages of the construction project. That is how public life in the country goes on since the Commonwealth of the Philippines ended on July 4, 1946. Of course, there are also honest Filipino government officials and civil servants, but they compose the minority.
According to reports obtained by this journalist, an overwhelming majority of Filipino voters wish the Commonwealth days could be brought back. Yes, it can be returned to its original, corruption-free style of governance. This series will explain how the 2028 presidential, congressional, and LGU elections can resurrect the “Commonwealth of the Philippines”. Inquisitive readers may type in “Commonwealth” in the Search Box of the Philippine Daily Mirror to read dozens of articles, which also include back-to-basics reform proposals for both the United States and the proposed comeback of a Filipino Commonwealth.
Today is timely. November 30 is celebrated as the “Philippine National Heroes Day” as a national holiday. It became known as “Bonifacio Day” to commemorate the birth of the national hero and revolutionary leader Andrés Bonifacio. As the founder of the secret fraternal society called the Katipunan, history hails him as one of the national heroes who ignited the Philippine Revolution in 1897 against Spanish colonial rule. Historians and the Fourth Estate call him the “Father of the 1898 Philippine Revolution” that eventually became the First Philippine Republic.
Next Wednesday, this series will proceed with suggested steps on how to turn the 2028 Philippine national and local elections into a “ReVOTElution of H.O.P.E.” A Facebook Group is named after it at this link. Some of the most relevant column articles on the Filipino Commonwealth will also be included.
