Echaves: Anyone’s oil

MY stand has always been “No” to the reimposition of the death penalty.

This, despite my sinking heart that politics being what it is in this country, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and his cohorts would railroad the decision.

So, nope, I’m not surprised at the speed with which the “Yes” votes in the House came to be. They all wanted to please President Rodrigo Duterte so what better way than to dance to his music.

The Pied Piper had more difficulty luring the mice out of the city and into the sea.

But, yes, like their president, I’m curious why the honorable men and women of the lower chamber of Congress did not vote with equal drums, thunder and lightning to include plunder.

The news story did not say that the President fumed, or knitted his eyebrows, or was near breathing fire. He was “just curious.”

Mine is a curiosity nearing conclusion. Could the naysayers have debated over the definition or demarcation? Like how much at least should be stolen to become plunder?

At least P366 million, the amount of intelligence funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes (PCSO) allegedly misused by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s from 2008 to 2010?

How about the other plunders through other scams, such as the $329-million NBN-ZTE deal? The P900-million Malampaya fund scam? Another fertilizer fund scam worth P728 million.

They’ve been dismissed, no thanks to the Supreme Court. But wait, there’s still the other complaint, again for alleged misuse PCSO intelligence funds from 2004 to 2007 worth P 57 Million. Ah, the cellar for plunder could be P57 million.

Some two years ago, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-based research organization, revealed that the country lost $132.9 billion, or P6 trillion, in illicit money outflows. That’s an average of P357 billion a year.

The group suggested five measures for the Philippines to stop the financial hemorrhaging of its coffers.

First, processes and enforcement should be cleaned up and boosted. Second, officers tasked to spot corruption practices should be trained more. Third, software to detect misinvoices should be upgraded.

The three others I like and support. Fourth, that data about errant behaviors should be published for public consumption. Why not? President Duterte has no qualms identifying drug lords, so why not publish the names of corrupt men in government and even their partners in crime?

And fifth, “enforce all anti-money laundering laws that are already in the books,” and criminalize offenses

related to money laundering by expanding the list to all other felonies.

Ah, there’s the rub. Who’ll audit the auditor?

Despite the volumes of charges filed against Arroyo, she was acquitted and is now scot-free. Simply because there wasn’t any evidence of her finger caught in the cookie jar.

Now, measures are afoot to possibly let Janet Napoles off the hook.

Plunder meting death penalty? Even Duterte must know that crooks in Congress refuse to prepare the oil to boil themselves in.

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