"Corruption is the number one industry in the Philippine," is the conclusive observation of MNLF Chairman Prof. Nur Misuari. The revelation from the MNLF Chairman has but confirmed his experience as once unopposed elected Governor of the pork-barrel-conscious Philippine Congress-manufactured Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Without finishing his governorship tenure, he abandoned ARMM, showing dismay to be deceived by Philippine colonialism to fully develop war-torn Mindanao. It turned out that the Manila government never did have the intention to make Mindanao a "promised land of fulfillment." Instead, the Malacanang political animals and other government officials in Manila accused him of corruption. But, surprisingly, once tried in Philippine court, he was charged instead with 'rebellion,' not corruption, proving at the end just the same without any legal basis. 

 

Indeed, if the observation of the MNLF Chairman is not a fictitious tale, how come corruption becomes synonymous with the Filipino nation that Pope John XXIII pronounced in 1964 as "the only Catholic nation in the Far East."

 

ON THE FILIPINO-MORO WAR IN MINDANAO. Indicative of the personal, economic and political greed of the early Filipino politicians to make a difference in history, thus, playing to the contagious game of corruption practiced by the megalomaniac foreign invaders in the name of 'democracy' and 'rule of law', the convenient colonisation of the Bangsamoro homeland of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan (MINSUPALA) by the Quezon Commonwealth regime in 1936 has undoubtedly triggered the current disastrous Mindanao war. It is observed that corruption has always inflicted and incited the hearts and minds of the Filipino political animals to further colonise, oppress, marginalise and erase the ethnic Muslim and Highlander natives of Mindanao. The leading Filipino colonisers, ranging from Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmena, Sr., Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos have practiced and improvised the dark art of corruption to outdo each other towards the preservation of Philippine colonialism in Mindanao. They have continued the colonial slavery of the Muslim and Highlander natives of Mindanao as sort of a golden legacy of stark American corruption and extinction of the aboriginal native Indians in North America. And today, some Filipino officials have the shameless nerve to announce publicly that solving the Filipino-Moro war in Mindanao through decolonisation or via the peaceful virtue of the two-nation theory is "to dismember the Philippine Republic." Did the colonised and oppressed Muslim and Higlander natives of Mindanao and the Igorots of the Mountain Province (Cordillera Region) ever decide willingly to become a member of the US government-designed 'Philippine Republic' of Luzon and Visayas in 1946?

 

The worst of Philippine corruption related to the Filipino-Moro war in Mindanao started with the Marcos regime in the 1960s and later duplicated by the Estrada and Arroyo regime in the 1990s up to the 2000s. With the full-blown Mindanao war becoming a lucrative business industry for the transformed Armed Forces of 'Pabaon' (AFP) officials, corruption has played havoc amongst the AFP war-mongers that produced not only bemedalled heroes for killing Bangsamoro freedom fighters in war-torn Mindanao, but also instant millionaires in the impoverished society. While in the course of prolonging the Filipino-Moro war in Mindanao for obvious million reasons, the Philippine military has paid for corruption-related cases toward the incarceration of Major General Carlos Garcia and suicide killing of ex-Chief of Staff General Angelo Reyes. Nonetheless, without the comprehensive solution to the Filipino-Moro war in Mindanao, the glittering badge of corruption attached to the AFP will remain a beckoning light to the corrupt-prone officers in military uniform.

 

ON THE CORRUPTION-GENERATED POVERTY AND HUNGER CRISIS. The barometer of corruption  as number one Philippine industry is registered clearly in the rise of massive poverty and escalating hunger that the past corrupt Filipino leaders, especially Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, have neglected to address, but accepted as a Filipino fact of life. Knowing that other ASEAN countries have prioritised the eradication of poverty, much more, hunger, to realise growth and development of each nation to improve the living condition, misery and agony of the people, the Filipino leaders have worn the crown of corruption proudly. Instead of seriously solving the problems confronting the Filipino and Bangsamoro communities, they are more inclined to enrich themselves, families and political stooges, preserving corruption in all government agencies and giving no damn to the welfare and betterment of the suffering masses. But only with rhetorics, lip-services and empty promises during every elections.

 

Thus, as repeatedly said, the Philippines today remain the "sick man of Asia" and a "capital nation of corruption", brandishing the slogan of a tourist country where there's "more fun" like the old Switzerland. 

 

ON THE WAR AGAINST POLITICAL WARLORDS. It is no secret that corruption has given rise to political warlord groups in the Philippines. Due to patronage politics adopted by corrupt Filipino leaders, including the Chief Executives, who are always after the preservation of the status quo, to buy more time to make more money and to lengthen and strengthen their political base, they tolerate corrupt practices of the governing officials in the provinces, cities, towns and barrios. On particular instances, the governors and mayors operate with impunity to build-up private armies with looted people's taxes to purchase heavy weaponry from AFP/PNP officials and soldiers in order to perpetuate their political domain and to instill fear amongst the voting public to 'elect' their chosen political patron-lords in Manila.

 

Of particular example is the political Ampatuan warlord clan of Maguindanao that amassed so much stolen wealth and electoral power and influence due to the patronage politics practiced by the Arroyo regime, leading to the massacre of civilians and media practitioners in 2010. Until now, although the implicated Ampatuan family members have been apprehended for court trial, there is still no clear justice for the family victims. Clearly, this is because the Philippine Supreme Court and all lower court of appeals are engulfed in corruption just like all the other branches of government, including all agencies and departments.

 

Today, on one hand, the present Aquino II regime, has shown seriousness to combat corruption to erase the ugly tag that the Filipino nation carries with pride and with impunity by government officials, notwithstanding the ridicule and mockery of other nations. 

 

However, can President Benigno Aquino III succeed to end the Filipino-Moro war and the AFP-NDF/NPA war to achieve total peace in Mindanao and the rest of the forsaken country? How can he succeed to address the growing poverty and sickening hunger of the poor masses that the Filipino corrupt officials have ignored for many years now? How can he instill discipline on the political warlords not to steal public wealth meant for development of the provinces and rehabilitation of the poor people? How can he transformed the Armed Forces of 'Pabaon' (AFP) officials-turned-war-mongers to give up the Mindanao war as a business enterprise? As Commander-in-Chief, how can he lead the AFP to perform its task to concentrate in establishing 'just and lasting peace' for the Muslim and Highlander natives, and Christian settlers of war-ravaged Mindanao? -rrr