How outraged are we?

In an apparent attempt to appease the angry public over the flood control projects scandal, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered lifestyle checks on all government officials.

- Atty. Ruphil Bañoc [e-mail]

Will the Filipino people welcome this order with enthusiasm? I seriously doubt they will. Will the public officials tremble in fear? I seriously doubt that too. I am not being pessimistic. I am being realistic.

The flood control projects scandal is not the first to explode in the faces of politicians and government officials. It’s just one of many, not least among them the pork barrel scandal and the fertilizer scam --both of which sparked rallies across the country.

What makes the public grow tired of investigations is that they already know what happens next. After all the angry condemnations, endless press releases, and promises to go after crocodiles and the piranhas, yes, the corrupt and rotten souls, to the pit of hell --we all go back to business-as-usual, as if nothing happened. The perpetrators go scot-free and then a new scandal emerges.