Looks like there's hope, afterall.

'Fight vs corruption bearing fruit'
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated April 12, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The administration’s fight to weed corrupt officials out of the bureaucracy is already bearing fruit, notably with the likely impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, President Aquino said yesterday.

“We have succeeded (in the impeachment) at the House, and sending the articles of impeachment for trial at the Senate. In about a month’s time (an impeachment trial will start). So, the change that we’re pursuing can be achieved,” Aquino said in an impromptu speech before students and faculty of St. Paul University in Ermita, Manila.

“We now have a battle at the Ombudsman. Perhaps the case that we should pay most attention to is that of (retired military comptroller Carlos) Garcia,” he said.

Aquino said he could not understand why government lawyers opted to settle with Garcia for the return of P130 million of the more than P300 million he had allegedly plundered.

“The amount that he is willing to return is not even half of what’s not his,” Aquino said. “Now, do we have to thank the Ombudsman for this? Do you thank someone who has returned half of what he has stolen from you?”

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=675422&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Probably since the very beginning of time, corruption has always been rampant in any state. Not a single civilized nation could escape this seemingly omniscient virus, per se. Each one of them has succumbed to this illness, and the cure for such appears to be as clear as day: only those of pure heart can truly defy the "universal" truth--that corruption spares no one. The solution might seem easy to do and attainable, but words are easier said than done. And if, in fact, the solution is doable, then this might long have been solved, and the world we live in must've already been far better than it is as of today. We come to a point wherein humankind is constantly filled with violence, hate, corruption, and all the negativities in the world. The once bright light God has bequeathed us is slowly being overpowered by the obscure forces of evil, and little does mankind know if such problem would ever be solved by our present leaders of today.

With everything as it is in our society, everything appeared black and white, and I was beginning to lose hope. Little do I know how to prevent this phenomenon from transpiring, and without doubt, it seems that it had no chances of stopping anytime sooner. But, as I was searching for an article for this very paper, I came across this, and the article actually made my day. The moment I read the title, I went all "Wehhh, di nga?". I mean, come on, knowing our country's current situation and with that sort of title, who wouldn't have a similar reaction? The government, along with each newly elected president, has long been telling the people that they would find a way to end all the injustice, the corruption in the Philippines--feeding broken promises and false hopes to the people. It's no surprise that during the elections those people who attained a certain degree of education would always doubt the candidates and their promises of "helping the poor" or "ending corruption" and whatnot, while those below the poverty belt would really get their hopes up and vote for the candidate whom they truly believe would rescue them from their misery. And as it always turns out, they vote the wrong candidate and our country is put into more political turmoil, though not always.

Going back to the current situation, so far, I'm not updated with what's currently happening in our country, like how the current president, Noynoy, is doing. But, I do know quite a number of people who would, I daresay, refer to him as the Barrack Obama of the Philippines. I really have no clue whether this comparison should be taken as a compliment or otherwise, but basing on this article alone and seeing that our president is really going to do something about it, I think he's doing OK. Though he might not meet the high expectations and demands of the people right away since he's still starting, he'll get to it eventually if he continues to do the right thing, and I really think he should. He carries the name of one of the greatest Filipinos, and he wouldn't dare stain the Aquino name.

To be honest, during the campaign for elections, I was really going for Gibo. I think all the teenagers were going for him, and most of us were against Noynoy, but he won anyway. I'm the type of person who keeps an open mind to a lot of things, and even if I'm not in favor of something, I always reconsider. That's why when Noynoy won, I started to look at things differently, and maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe I judged him immediately without looking into what great things he could really do for our country, given his lineage--of course, we shouldn't only focus on that since that would be biased, but we should also focus on his people and governing skills as a president. In this generation, an open mind is becoming really essential. There are a lot of people who have very narrow minds, and because of them and their beliefs, our country doesn't move forward and grow for the better. All of us must remember the saying, "The only constant thing in the world is change" and we should live by that. Because, really, what could you do if things change? Would you fight against it? If you're some stupid, illiterate person, yes, you would; but if you're a person who knows better, you would live with change and deal with it.