Pope Francis’ speech about corruption being the “gangrene of the people” in Paraguay was timely not only for that South American country where it is said to be rampant but also for the Philippines which he visited last January.
In a speech at the Rizal Hall in Malacañang Palace last January, Pope Francis minced no words when he said that “the great Biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor, (which) bids us [to] break the bonds of injustice and oppression, which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities.”
And in Paraguay, the Pope was also emphatic, though like in the Philippines he took care not to offend his hosts by saying that the creation of wealth should not be “only for the benefit of a few (but) must be extended to “each citizen, without exclusion.”
Corruption is such a perennial issue in the country that Pope Francis’ message against “sacrificing human lives at the altar of money and profit” still rings true even if we’ve heard it many times, from politicians and public officials.
As the Aquino administration runs its course in less than a year, concerns about the President’s successor and whether he or she will continue the aggressive crusade against corruption, have been aired, especially after Vice President Jejomar Binay announced his split from the Cabinet and started taking potshots at the government.
With the vice president’s reputation as a traditional politician—and corruption is usually associated with these two words— it seemed a desperate gesture to blunt it with reports and photos of rosary beads with the letter “B” that were distributed to families of victims who both died and survived the MB Kim Nirvana B sinking in the waters near the Ormoc City port area last July 2.
The vice president’s camp may deny that report to death but they would have a hard time denying that steel railings in Makati City also bear the letter “B.”
For corruption does not only refer to the theft of taxpayers money from the country’s coffers by elected and appointed government officials, it also involves that brazen sense of privilege or entitlement felt and wielded by an elite few, who dare use monuments, public infrastructure and even birthday cakes to remind people of who they are and what they represent.
Like gangrene, it spreads and infects communities and eventually society, rendering it sick and inutile.
And like gangrene, the people should find it in themselves to cure it, aggressively if need be, lest it threatens their very survival.
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