| Photo by Nick Pereira on Unsplash
Perhaps not enough learning has been gained, and a groundswell, if not intolerable indignation, or an even louder clamor for solutions, emerges.
It is time for INTEGRITY SOFTWARE- anchored on RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) and SIX SIGMA DMAIC practices. It is encouraging that government has enough talent within the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) exemplified by the likes of Usec Dave Almirol who are at the precipice of breakthrough innovation that can bring transparency software to the next logical step towards integrity software that will ultimately track, monitor and render accountability and transparency to all stakeholders, access for public scrutiny and finally deliver the death knell to graft and corruption.
The plunder law (R.A. 7080) fine of P50M should be reduced to P5,000.00. Those who claim it would be too easy to frame or set up officials with P5,000 deposits in their accounts should adjust their bank notifications to P4,999.00.
A public school principal in Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines, named Anchelita Sicio, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for falsifying public documents and misappropriating P5,000 in government funds. The Sandiganbayan upheld the decision of the Virac Regional Trial Court Branch 42 on February 12, 2025. She was found guilty of malversation and falsification after altering a sales invoice to falsely report the purchase of 28 bags of cement, effectively pocketing the P5,000 intended for school use.
In addition to the prison sentence, fines were imposed, and she was banned from holding public office for life. Please don’t laugh at her ineptitude and say she deserved prison time because she was stupid enough to get caught or even scheme to steal just P5,000. In the grand scheme of things, she should be given a medal for robbing government coffers of a mere P5,000. If other officials aspire to steal just P5,000, maybe we can all rest easy that there will be plenty left over to run the government right and well. Now you can laugh.
The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019) should also be amended to impose a minimum sentence of reclusion perpetua regardless of the amount (death penalty, if restored). There is no crime more heinous.
Whistleblower Law should be enacted to increase protections, including asylum in the country of choice, and to provide rewards of at least P1B or 25% of the total amount of exposed malfeasance, whichever is greater. What exists is a patchwork of Witness Protection, Anti-Red Tape, Ease of Doing Business, and pending bills that defy committee hearings, much less plenary debate.
Show me a political party that will embrace this legislative agenda, and I’ll vote accordingly.
“All this is a product of truth and consequence. The truth is that the guilty in the past have emboldened the current crop of conspirators because of the lack of consequences. The Ombudsman himself diminished the existing law against plunder, noting that it had been rendered ineffective by loopholes …”
But no, voters are swayed after sexy dancers and celebrities appear on stage – some candidates even dance themselves. Campaigns are not jokes, nor are elections. Filipinos complain, but do not change the way they vote. Pareho Diskarte, Pareho Resulta. It may be time to vote for the unknown, the ‘untested’, a different last name, the ‘inexperienced’ (in what exactly? Kurakot?). It is time to vote for candidates who will not promise more public schools, more public hospitals, more health centers, or more ayuda; each of these promises actually means more poverty. Think about it for a second. Each promise is an admission that these candidates are unable or unwilling to plan for the people’s prosperity. Is poverty intentional in the Philippines? How can candidates buy votes among a prosperous people? Kailan pa kaya mamulat ang bayan?
A comedy of finger-pointing and mad scramble for state witness status to escape accountability is playing out in congressional hearings. Admission of bribery is better than being the most guilty. There is no shortage of volunteers to be the delivery boy. Alleged recipients of deliveries deny knowledge or complicity. One can only hope that casino winnings are recoverable as restitution. The casinos themselves should return the net cash proceeds from identified gambling whales to chips. The willingness of public works contractors to advance commissions is appalling.
One pattern is emerging. The culprits appear to have complete control of the levers of the approval process. Either the most guilty is not guilty at all, but a mere pawn in the game of name dropping, or was fully complicit. Were people in control exploited by a cunning conspiracy among government officials below the rank of Department Secretary, except for the custodian of the playground, the DPWH?
All this is a product of truth and consequence. The truth is that the guilty in the past have emboldened the current crop of conspirators because of the lack of consequences. The Ombudsman himself diminished the existing law against plunder, noting that it had been rendered ineffective by loopholes exposed during the prosecution of such cases. And yet hearings in aid of legislation seem endless, yet do not address the gaps that clearly demonstrate the need for revised amendments.
INTEGRITY SOFTWARE, whether a part of the CADENA LAW proposed by Sen Bam Aquino, is enacted, remains to be seen. The DICT is perfectly capable of writing the necessary code to use blockchain to create immutable files that stay in the cloud forever, if only the DICT can be given the political mandate to execute it. Picture a system that identifies proponents of every single line item of the national budget, with an auditable trail a few clicks away, funding release authorization pinpointed by biometric-verified transactions, all digital payments, real-time project status updates, and every step visible to anyone and everyone. The challenge remains with lawmakers – a list of opponents in Congress must be made public to guide voters in the next election. If the time is not now – WHEN?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Crispin Fernandez advocates for overseas Filipinos, public health, transformative political change, and patriotic economics. He is also a community organizer, leader, and freelance writer.
