PeterRS Posted 2 hours ago Posted 2 hours ago The Philippines has always suffered from typhoons. I suspect well over 50% of those which originate in the Pacific hit the islands: some just a fleeting glance; many with devastating force and consequences for the people, especially those living in what most of us would describe as abject poverty. As soon as Ferdinand Marcos became President in 1965, corruption has been ever-present in The Philippines. The country is still controlled by a small number of fabulously wealthy families, much of that wealth accumulated over the decades as a result of corruption. In this century alone, no less than three Presidents have been jailed for corruption and misuse of pubic funds. One President was jailed for life, the immensely popular movie star Joseph Estrada. His successor was arrested twice. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was herself the daughter of a former President. Like Shinawatra in Thailand, she escaped jail by spending a considerable time in hospital allegedly with a life threatening illness. The (often assumed to be corrupt) Supreme Court finally acquitted her. One of her actions thereafter was to grant clemency to Estrada! Now another hugely popular figure prior to his election, as the immediate past President Rodrigo Duterte has not only been charged with offences within the country, he is the first to have been referred to the International Criminal Court. Has anything really changed? Now Marcos' son Bongbong is President and Duterte's daughter is Vice-President. Seemingy nothing! But the weather might! This year the monsoon rains have been particularly heavy. Finally gossip about previous efforts at controlling flooding is spreading everywhere. As one resident Crissa Tolentino states in a BBC article, "I feel betrayed. I work hard, I don't spend too much and taxes are deducted from my salary every month. Then I learn that billions in our taxes are being enjoyed by corrupt politicians." FInally peope are asking why the billiions and billions of Pesos allocated to flood relief have come to virtually nothing. 'Ghost' projects that never materialise. To counter public anger, Bongbong Marcos paid a highly embarrassing visit to a flood control dam paid for by public funds. Only the dam his officials wanted him to see does not exist! There is nothig there! His Economic Planning Minister later admitted that corruption claimed 70% of the funds allocated to flood control. A huge anti-corruption protest is already planned for Sunday, 21 September - the anniversary of the day in 1972 when then leader Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law. His son, who is now president - Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr - is well aware of how far public anger can go. It was anti-corruption protests that drove his father from power in 1986, ending a decades-long dictatorship that embezzled billions from the state. WiIl this rally achieve anything? Well, in 1986 People Power finally drove the murdering kleptomaniac President Marcos into exile. Perhaps something will come of it - eventually. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrp7xkd2gpo Quote
