LOAD. AIM. HOLD YOUR FIRE.

Corruption is a hot topic in the Philippines as it is, but it seemed to fuel the fire, when Senator Manny Pacquiao released a statement that the current administration is “three times corrupt”, which might even be perceived as the worst in Philippine history.

How the tongue echoes one’s mind reflects on the kind of leader that a person is.

If you are currently holding a political office, have you ever asked yourself, “what kind of politician am I?”

In the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Philippines ranked 34^th in 2020. I hate to say this, but the Philippines has never had a government without corruption and some even remained unsolved until now. No one can deny that there is corruption everywhere. However, during these times, where a pandemic continues to challenge our nation, magnifying an omnipresent issue should not be on the priority list.

After a year of battling the COVID19, which killed millions of people around the globe, is the country’s health sector already stable enough to display complacency? Is the upcoming elections more important than making health crisis our priority? Does corruption deserve the utmost, undivided attention of the Filipino people during this trying time?

Why highlight corruption when it is obvious that it has already existed and has always been there?

Amidst a pandemic, focusing on corruption issues undermines the importance of strengthening and focusing on the healthcare system.

If not for the upcoming election, then what is it for? To help the people? The same people who are greatly affected by the COVID19? The same people who cry for help because they were laid off from their jobs and are still struggling to live another day? Yet, all we see is nitpicking over corruption issues?

When I watched the television a few days ago, listening to opposing statements where one party was grilled, while the other rebuts the argument with a challenge, I asked myself, “Seriously? Is this what the people wanted to hear from the leaders whom they look up to?” I was disappointed. Is this what the country needs right now?

The thought of these government officials showing support at the beginning of the current administration and thereafter throws shade at the end of the term is just ridiculous. Are you trying to be a clown?

Be ashamed. This isn’t the time to get the nation’s vote. This is a time for collective action that we, as a country, need to overcome, for the sake of our countrymen.

Politics is not as selfless as the media and politicians would have you believe. Corruption, bribery, and disparaging opposing personalities are just some of the tactics used to propel a politician into a position of perilous power. Politics is indeed a dirty game. Therefore, when a government official says that the current administration is corrupt knowing that he is also part of that same administration, it is like feeding yourself to a lion intended for others.

Then again, why worry about losing your popularity when you should be worried about the possibility that there might be no nation to lead in the future? If you really want to help the country, then do so. Simply. Quietly. For the good things that one has done will surely be seen and recognized.

To the government officials reading this, help fight corruption privately. There is no need to have it publicized because the finish line has not been reached yet. No one will stop you from being proud when you are done, but when you come for someone, you better not miss it, because there has never been a target without a bullet.