The cable package she purchased has some 70 channels. Because I do not speak Chinese, delete 15 channels from the list of viewing possibilities. Delete another 20 for the Japanese rubbish. Knock off another 10 for soppy, over acted Filipino movie channels and then delete another 5 for the regular Filipino channels. The remainder include all the usual goodies of CNN, BBC, History, Discovery, Animal Planet etc etc.
One gem stands out of the pack: Senate TV, Channel 3.
Senate TV is much like our Order in the House and the televised Senate and House of Representatives' proceedings during sitting weeks. Senate TV too is contained to sitting weeks and when not televising the Congress or Senate activities is a government channel that provides advertisements of different services and programs including the 'Guapo Metro' [read: 'Handsome Metro'] campaign that aims to clean up Manila by 2010. I can only think in the final edit a '0' was dropped off the end. The idea that Manila can look 'handsome' by next year is nothing short of ridiculous.
One of the stars of Senate TV is the feisty Miriam Defensor Santiago http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Defensor-Santiago. Apart from having the coolest name in politics, she is a woman of an incredible intelligence, an amazing resume and admirably has made it her life's purpose to stamp out corruption in The Philippines.
The latter has ensured she has been the frequent target of assassination. That she has survived every attempt has only hardened her resolve, taking on a near messianic zeal when prosecuting those that she alleges are corrupt or those government spending programs or contracts that have been created or awarded to line the pockets of a particular politician.
In her latest round of corruption busting, Senator Santiago ordered an inquiry into the appalling discovery by Russian customs officials of 7 high ranking Filipino policemen who were attending an Interpol conference in St Petersburg with 130,000 Euros. Savour the irony. Needless to say, that was a little more than the daily $250 US that each of the 7 had been provided for their conference-related expenses.
In the course of discovering at a televised enquiry on Channel 3 a) where in fact that amount of money had come from and b) what was the intended destination of that money, the good Senator declared to General De La Pas, head of The Philippines' National Police (PNP), that "if I was your Mama I would come around over there and spank you General".
With the embattled General only ever answering "I will have to take that question on notice Maam and ask my staff", Senator Santiago asked "perhaps general if I knock your head against a wall a few times you will give me a different answer? Mmm.....maybe not".
Senator Santiago came close to power in 1992 when she ran for President. After a series of 'unscheduled' power outages during the election count, Fidel Ramos was eventually declared winner.
Sadly despite her high profile role in Filipino political life, there is probably little chance - power shortages aside - that she will ever be able to secure the Republic's top job. Whereas I sit back and watch in awe the methodic dissection by Santiago of her prey, mixed with a touch of humour and a lot of venom, most here find her confrontational style utterly offensive.
That she approaches her job with such passion (rightly so when you witness the incredible level of cronyism and corruption in the face of such incredible poverty), marks her by the common folk as "loco".
Only in The Philippines would a corrupt General of a developing country with hidden bank accounts scattered throughout the world be regarded as the victim because he is being tirelessly questioned by one of the few Senators in political life here who could have grafted endless amounts of World Bank, IMF and US money but instead chose to represent the best interests of the people.
The Filipino concept of 'delikadesa', discussed in the article I posted a few days back, dictates an individual shouldn't be questioned because it insults their pride; the lazy, the incompetent and the crooked all get a free pass in The Philippines.
I have posted one clip from youtube featuring the good Senator removing herself from the chamber after a dispute about the awarding of a Chinese contract to provide a new telecommunications system to The Philippines. It was discovered by Santiago that Senators and high ranking government officials had been lobbying the Chinese to increase their bid and in turn, receive a greater dollar kickback for their percentage-based commissions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F1k24ylW5U&feature=related
In a recent letter to President Arroyo, Senator Santiago wrote the following:
"...I wish I were a contractor, instead of a lawyer. Instead of having to be honest, competent, and hardworking, I can grow fabulously rich, and maybe reduce certain legislators to jelly. Instead of reading myself blind, I could just bribe public works and local government officials. Instead of going to boring church every Sunday, darn it, I can just build an entire church and thus secure the redemption of my immortal soul. Instead of serving as a moving target for paid character assassins and expensive PR firms whose only expertise in journalism is bribery of media practitioners who inhabit their pockets, I would be canonized by media. If I were a contractor, I would just buy off unpleasantness, such as adverse publicity or a congressional investigation. How convenient in a country whose many things are for sale, including men’s souls..."
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