What’s next after the Million People March?

Now that the Million People March against the abuses of the pork barrel system is over, many Filipinos are asking what will happen next? How can we continue to push for much needed reforms in our government? Here are some suggestions.

 

1.)  Learn from the results of the past scandals and continue the call for justice against those who abused and misused the pork barrel.

 

Up until now, Janet Lim-Napoles who is the alleged mastermind behind this P10 billion pork barrel scam is a fugitive and it seems that no one knows where she is. If we want to ensure that those who benefitted from this scam are prosecuted and punished then we have to continue to put pressure on our law enforcement agencies to work double time towards the arrest of Napoles. The worst thing that could happen now is that the one or more politicians implicated in this scam decide to take matters in his or her own hands and have Napoles killed which would lead to Napoles taking all her “secrets” down to her grave. As citizens, let us also do our own share by also trying to get information on where Napoles is currently hiding.

 

The general public should also not let up in demanding that government officials who benefitted from this scam through the years must be held accountable and if proven guilty, be immediately punished and sent to jail.  Let us closely monitor and support the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on this matter that begins this coming Thursday morning. This is not the first time that our country has faced billion peso scandals, remember the Fertilizer Scam, the Swine Scam and the NBN-ZTE Deal? Do you remember anyone being sent to jail on account of these? None. We have to realize that unless one or more of our corrupt political leaders get sent to jail then these scandals will just continue because they will always believe that they can get away with this. Truly, our justice system needs much reform but that’s another story altogether.

 

2.)  Push for the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill and the Full Disclosure Act

 

It has been three years now since President Noynoy Aquino has promised during the 2010 elections that he will help push for the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. When enacted into law, this will give ordinary citizens the power to ask their government officials how they are spending our public funds. This is an important safeguard that needs to now be put into place if we want to ensure that another scandal of this proportion doesn’t happen again.

 

Another proposed law worth supporting is Cong. Leni Robredo’s Full Disclosure Act which pushes for transparency by mandating all government agencies to publish and show to the general public their budget and how they are spending it. This was done during the term of the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo wherein he mandated all local government units to publish their budgets and other important financial transactions in their city or municipal halls for all their constituents to see. If it can be done in our local government units then I don’t see any reason why it cannot be done in all our other government agencies. If our government officials knows that we are watching them then they will think several times before they decide to engage in their shenanigans.

 

3.)  Play a more active role in electing better leaders for our country

 

It is ironic that during this whole scandal, many people have shown their utmost disgust with our Congressmen and Senators yet didn’t anyone realize that we are the ones who voted them into their positions now? The only way that we can make lasting change and reforms happen in our government is to make sure that a revolt happens not just in the streets but more importantly in our elections.

 

The sad reality is even with the scrapping of the pork barrel, we will still have graft and corruption in our government because many of our so-called “honorable” leaders will just find another way of trying to make money off our public coffers. While many of us raised hell with this pork barrel issue, not many know that many budgets of local government units are actually much higher than the yearly allocation of the pork barrel. In some cities, this annual budget can run into the billions. With the baranggay elections just two months away, we need to start playing a more active role in ensuring that we elect the right leaders for our country. Voters education should start now and not when the elections are just a few months away. The experience of the late Jesse Robredo as Mayor of Naga City shows us that good leaders will lead to good services that will eventually lead to a better quality of life for every Filipino.

 

The Million People March on Monday showed that if only we can convert the power of social media to actual warm bodies taking an active stance on a particular issue then our government will listen. The challenge now is for us to sustain this momentum and make sure that in these next few months real and lasting reforms will be put into place so that the people will no longer have to take to the streets due to another billion peso scandal.  

 

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com

Follow Harvey at Twitter: twitter.com/harveykeh

 

Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government and is also the Lead Convenor of the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.