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For pocketing a measly 5,000 pesos in a local construction project, a principal of a public elementary school in Catanduanes province was sentenced to a total of 11 years’ imprisonment.
Based on court records, Anchelita Sicio had falsified a sales invoice to show that the Taytay Elementary School bought 28 bags of cement for 7,000 pesos, when only eight bags of cement were actually purchased for 2,000 pesos.
The former principal could not explain where the 5,000 pesos she had taken had gone. For that, the Virac Regional Trial Court (RTC) found Sicio guilty of malversation and falsification, and sentenced her to a total of seven years of imprisonment for the two offenses.
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The local court also disqualified her from holding a public office and imposed a total fine of 13,000 pesos. In February this year, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan upheld the former principal’s conviction for the crimes of malversation and falsification.
However, her sentence for falsification was modified to eight years because she was a public official. She was also sentenced to a three-year jail term for malversation. If a local court could carry out swift justice on a petty corruption case in a faraway province in Bicol, there should be no double standard on large-scale corruption cases.
The people have been demanding a faster resolution of the inquiries into government infrastructure projects involving powerful lawmakers and public officials. They wanted immediate results - cases filed in the Ombudsman, ill-gotten wealth seized, and culprits jailed. The Philippines is no stranger to corruption cases in government. From the time the Republic was born from the ashes of World War II, politicians have been hurling accusations of corruption.
Since the time of the late President Elpidio Quirino, corruption has been an election issue. Presidents Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, and Ferdinand Marcos Sr. were also embroiled in corruption controversies. Two sitting presidents had been removed from power on corruption allegations in two separate, peaceful, and popular uprisings, supported by the military.
But the politicians never learned. The magnitude and level of corruption have been increasing, and the amount of money stolen shocks the public. For instance, the details of how the government funds were systematically stolen in flood control projects were unbelievable.
The stacks of cash lay out on a billiard table pale in comparison to the testimony of government engineers who delivered 20 suitcases of crisp 1,000-peso bills amounting to 50 million pesos, loaded into seven delivery vans to the home of a congressman in Pasig and to a hotel penthouse in Taguig City. A well-entreched syndicate of politicians, public officials, and private contractors had existed since 2019 in one province, defrauding the government of billions of pesos.
The dirty money is laundered in casinos, fancy cars, jewelry, and palatial homes in some gated communities. Proceeds from non-existent, substandard, and overpriced infrastructure projects had fattened the bank accounts of government engineers, earning only 56,000 to 102,000 pesos a month.
As the annual government budget grows an average of 7-8 percent every year, the amount of kickbacks also increases exponentially. For instance, the budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reached 1 trillion pesos this year, the largest in years, as senators and congressmen inserted 142 billion pesos from the president’s budget request.
The widespread corruption in government infrastructure projects must stop. It had bled the government’s finances, raising the public sector debt as the annual budget increased, with a widening gap due to revenue shortfall. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr should be credited for exposing the corruption in his administration, sacrificing his own political capital.
However, the president could regain public trust in his government if those involved in the irregularities are held accountable. This time, the people truly wanted the corrupt lawmakers and public officials to be held accountable, jailed, and barred from holding public office. There had been instances in the past when lawmakers were charged and jailed and only to be acquitted years later and allowed to run again. These lawmakers never learned their lessons.
They returned to their old ways and stole more money, knowing they could get away with their crimes. They are only emboldened to steal bigger amounts. It’s about time to put an end to the vicious cycle of corruption. If a lowly public elementary school principal could be punished for pocketing 5,000 pesos, the powerful lawmakers and public officials deserved harsher punishments. Let them become examples to other lawbreakers so the others may not follow them.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of this publication.
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