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MANILA, Philippines—Like a bright lamp, former state auditor Heidi
Mendoza Tuesday shone light on a trail of corruption in the military her
superiors and the military brass would rather leave in the dark,
drawing praise from a public hungry for honest people in government.
Support for Mendoza came pouring in from netizens, the clergy,
legislators, the President and the justice secretary, among other
people.
“You have raised us a notch higher as Filipinos,” said Bayan Muna
party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, summing up the public’s feeling after
Mendoza disclosed her fears for her life and the security of her
children with her testimony.
“I would like to assure her that as far as security is concerned, I
think that from all the reactions I have been getting from my cell phone
to my computer, it is the Filipino people who will protect you in the
circumstance that you find yourself in,” said Casiño at the hearing of
the justice committee in the House of Representatives.
He added that Congress would support and protect Mendoza.
“Go Heidi,” cheered Rock Ed founder and TV host Gang Badoy on her
Twitter account, gangbadoy. “When I grow up, I don’t think I can be like
Heidi Mendoza, she’s special. But I want to be CAPABLE of protecting
people like Heidi Mendoza,” she later tweeted.
Trending topic
At around 5:24 p.m. Tuesday, Mendoza appeared among the trending topics of the social networking site Twitter worldwide.
Twitter’s trending topics, preceded by a hashtag(#,) reflect the most-talked about real-time subjects on the site.
Mendoza emerged at the top spot of the trending topics on the popular
search engine Yahoo Philippines after testifying at the hearing on how
former military comptroller Carlos Garcia skimmed off public funds.
Mendoza led a team from the Commission on Audit (COA) that looked
into military deals and testified on allegedly suspicious transactions
involving Garcia and his family, who were charged with a P303-million
plunder case.
Plea bargain
The case in the Sandiganbayan is now the subject of a pending plea
bargain agreement, which allowed Garcia to post bail and walk out of
jail.
Mendoza earlier said she believed there was strong evidence against
Garcia, contrary to pronouncements of government prosecutors, who had
said that there was insufficient proof to nail him down.
Manifesto of support
In a manifesto of support, 20 Catholic bishops praised Mendoza for
risking her life and the security of her family “to unmask the
arrogance” of abusive officials.
The bishops also mentioned George Rabusa, a former military budget
officer who disclosed the military tradition of giving tens of millions
of pesos drawn from a slush fund to Armed Forces chiefs of staff and
other top military officials.
The prelates said the emergence of inspired witnesses like Mendoza
and Rabusa against crooked government officials was a concrete
expression of “lay leadership,” which the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) stressed in a pastoral letter two years ago.
The pastoral letter titled “Year of the Two Hearts for Peace building
and Lay Participation in Social Change,” encouraged the lay faithful to
be at the forefront of moral renewal for a genuine and lasting change
in Philippine society.
Common good
The bishops echoed a pastoral letter calling on the lay people
involved in politics to reject corruption and unite in the task of
“evangelizing politics” for effective governance and the pursuit of the
common good.
“As bishops, we support and encourage such people. We are with Heidi
Mendoza in speaking out against the abuse of office that impoverishes
the people and harm the common good,” they stated.
Fighting giants
At Tuesday’s forum hosted by the Catholic Media Network, Archbishop
Emeritus Oscar Cruz said the two witnesses against corrupt military
officials must not only be supported by bishops but also by ordinary
Filipinos.
“What they are doing is not easy... especially when you fight the
giants,” said Cruz, who himself stood as witness in a Senate probe of
“jueteng,” an illegal numbers game.
In the manifesto, the bishops called on the Sandiganbayan to pursue
the case in the interest of transparency and restoration of public
trust.
Palace support
Mendoza has the Aquino administration supporting her as far as her
security requirements are concerned, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Mr. Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the President
found Mendoza a credible witness and that the administration was moving
to protect her from those who would do her harm.
“Before she came to the House hearing… we made sure that she would be
protected by the government. We realize the importance of her
testimony,” Lacierda said at news briefing in Malacañang.
Lacierda said the President watched the television coverage of the proceedings in the House.
“We’ve listened to her testimony. Based on the court records, we
believe that she is a very credible witness who could shed light on the
anomalies that happened in the military during the comptrollership of
[Major] General Garcia,” Lacierda said.
Witness protection program
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has temporarily placed Mendoza under
its Witness Protection Program (WPP), Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
said Tuesday.
Anticipating threats to her security following her decision to appear
at the hearing, Mendoza went to the DoJ office in Manila on Monday to
seek protection, De Lima said.
“Because of these proceedings… she felt that she needed security so
we provided her security (detail) while we are evaluating her full
coverage under the WPP,” De Lima said in a news briefing.
“I don’t know the exact threats, but you can always assume that
because the people implicated here are powerful people, you cannot
downplay any security threat. You cannot be too complacent,” she added.
Since Mendoza did not cite specific threats, De Lima said the DoJ provided “preemptive” security arrangement for her.
In addition to protection, the justice secretary said the WPP could grant financial assistance to Mendoza and Rabusa.
Brave
De Lima praised Mendoza for coming out in the open to narrate what
she knew about the controversial plea bargain reached by Garcia and the
Ombudsman.
“She is brave and just like Rabusa, she is
credible,” the justice secretary said. “What could be her agenda as a
former COA auditor? She now runs the risk of being pilloried and
ostracized by her former co-workers at the COA.”
De Lima said the revelations made by Mendoza and Rabusa should prompt the Sandiganbayan to closely review Garcia’s plea bargain.
Honest toil
In their manifesto, the bishops reminded parents to serve as good
examples to their children and to promote the “virtue of honest toil,”
noting that Garcia’s case was a reflection of the deteriorating moral
values among Filipino families.
“We call on the children to ask their parents about their sources of
income... we remind lawyers, law enforcers and law schools to remember
their public oath of honor and duty to uphold democracy.
“This is an opportunity for us to get our act together inspired by
courageous men and women who stand up for the truth for the good of our
nation,” the bishops said.
Among those who signed the manifesto were Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo, Jaro Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Kidapawan
Bishop Romulo de la Cruz, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma,
Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez,
Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias and Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes. With reports from Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research and Norman Bordadora
original link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Mendoza Tuesday shone light on a trail of corruption in the military her
superiors and the military brass would rather leave in the dark,
drawing praise from a public hungry for honest people in government.
Support for Mendoza came pouring in from netizens, the clergy,
legislators, the President and the justice secretary, among other
people.
“You have raised us a notch higher as Filipinos,” said Bayan Muna
party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, summing up the public’s feeling after
Mendoza disclosed her fears for her life and the security of her
children with her testimony.
“I would like to assure her that as far as security is concerned, I
think that from all the reactions I have been getting from my cell phone
to my computer, it is the Filipino people who will protect you in the
circumstance that you find yourself in,” said Casiño at the hearing of
the justice committee in the House of Representatives.
He added that Congress would support and protect Mendoza.
“Go Heidi,” cheered Rock Ed founder and TV host Gang Badoy on her
Twitter account, gangbadoy. “When I grow up, I don’t think I can be like
Heidi Mendoza, she’s special. But I want to be CAPABLE of protecting
people like Heidi Mendoza,” she later tweeted.
Trending topic
At around 5:24 p.m. Tuesday, Mendoza appeared among the trending topics of the social networking site Twitter worldwide.
Twitter’s trending topics, preceded by a hashtag(#,) reflect the most-talked about real-time subjects on the site.
Mendoza emerged at the top spot of the trending topics on the popular
search engine Yahoo Philippines after testifying at the hearing on how
former military comptroller Carlos Garcia skimmed off public funds.
Mendoza led a team from the Commission on Audit (COA) that looked
into military deals and testified on allegedly suspicious transactions
involving Garcia and his family, who were charged with a P303-million
plunder case.
Plea bargain
The case in the Sandiganbayan is now the subject of a pending plea
bargain agreement, which allowed Garcia to post bail and walk out of
jail.
Mendoza earlier said she believed there was strong evidence against
Garcia, contrary to pronouncements of government prosecutors, who had
said that there was insufficient proof to nail him down.
Manifesto of support
In a manifesto of support, 20 Catholic bishops praised Mendoza for
risking her life and the security of her family “to unmask the
arrogance” of abusive officials.
The bishops also mentioned George Rabusa, a former military budget
officer who disclosed the military tradition of giving tens of millions
of pesos drawn from a slush fund to Armed Forces chiefs of staff and
other top military officials.
The prelates said the emergence of inspired witnesses like Mendoza
and Rabusa against crooked government officials was a concrete
expression of “lay leadership,” which the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) stressed in a pastoral letter two years ago.
The pastoral letter titled “Year of the Two Hearts for Peace building
and Lay Participation in Social Change,” encouraged the lay faithful to
be at the forefront of moral renewal for a genuine and lasting change
in Philippine society.
Common good
The bishops echoed a pastoral letter calling on the lay people
involved in politics to reject corruption and unite in the task of
“evangelizing politics” for effective governance and the pursuit of the
common good.
“As bishops, we support and encourage such people. We are with Heidi
Mendoza in speaking out against the abuse of office that impoverishes
the people and harm the common good,” they stated.
Fighting giants
At Tuesday’s forum hosted by the Catholic Media Network, Archbishop
Emeritus Oscar Cruz said the two witnesses against corrupt military
officials must not only be supported by bishops but also by ordinary
Filipinos.
“What they are doing is not easy... especially when you fight the
giants,” said Cruz, who himself stood as witness in a Senate probe of
“jueteng,” an illegal numbers game.
In the manifesto, the bishops called on the Sandiganbayan to pursue
the case in the interest of transparency and restoration of public
trust.
Palace support
Mendoza has the Aquino administration supporting her as far as her
security requirements are concerned, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Mr. Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the President
found Mendoza a credible witness and that the administration was moving
to protect her from those who would do her harm.
“Before she came to the House hearing… we made sure that she would be
protected by the government. We realize the importance of her
testimony,” Lacierda said at news briefing in Malacañang.
Lacierda said the President watched the television coverage of the proceedings in the House.
“We’ve listened to her testimony. Based on the court records, we
believe that she is a very credible witness who could shed light on the
anomalies that happened in the military during the comptrollership of
[Major] General Garcia,” Lacierda said.
Witness protection program
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has temporarily placed Mendoza under
its Witness Protection Program (WPP), Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
said Tuesday.
Anticipating threats to her security following her decision to appear
at the hearing, Mendoza went to the DoJ office in Manila on Monday to
seek protection, De Lima said.
“Because of these proceedings… she felt that she needed security so
we provided her security (detail) while we are evaluating her full
coverage under the WPP,” De Lima said in a news briefing.
“I don’t know the exact threats, but you can always assume that
because the people implicated here are powerful people, you cannot
downplay any security threat. You cannot be too complacent,” she added.
Since Mendoza did not cite specific threats, De Lima said the DoJ provided “preemptive” security arrangement for her.
In addition to protection, the justice secretary said the WPP could grant financial assistance to Mendoza and Rabusa.
Brave
De Lima praised Mendoza for coming out in the open to narrate what
she knew about the controversial plea bargain reached by Garcia and the
Ombudsman.
“She is brave and just like Rabusa, she is
credible,” the justice secretary said. “What could be her agenda as a
former COA auditor? She now runs the risk of being pilloried and
ostracized by her former co-workers at the COA.”
De Lima said the revelations made by Mendoza and Rabusa should prompt the Sandiganbayan to closely review Garcia’s plea bargain.
Honest toil
In their manifesto, the bishops reminded parents to serve as good
examples to their children and to promote the “virtue of honest toil,”
noting that Garcia’s case was a reflection of the deteriorating moral
values among Filipino families.
“We call on the children to ask their parents about their sources of
income... we remind lawyers, law enforcers and law schools to remember
their public oath of honor and duty to uphold democracy.
“This is an opportunity for us to get our act together inspired by
courageous men and women who stand up for the truth for the good of our
nation,” the bishops said.
Among those who signed the manifesto were Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo, Jaro Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Kidapawan
Bishop Romulo de la Cruz, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma,
Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez,
Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias and Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes. With reports from Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research and Norman Bordadora
original link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]