Why ethics? By Ellen Tordesillas

For Nograles to ask “Why ethics” reveals the depth of moral degradation among government officials.

For more articles by Ellen Tordesillas, click here.

After last Monday’s Senate hearing on the Legacy group of companies debacle which saw millions of pesos of hard-earned savings by thousands of not-so-rich investors vanish into a few people’s pockets, House Speaker Prospero Nograles was asked by reporters if Parañaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita would have to face the Ethics Committee.


Nograles replied, "Why ethics? Who is the complainant, who is complaining against him?"


For Nograles to ask "Why ethics" reveals the depth of moral degradation among government officials.


Zialcita’s cousin, Commissioner Jesus Martinez of the Securities and Exchange Commission, are in the same state of cluelessness. He saw nothing wrong in his son (although he was the one following up the payments) acquiring a P5 million house paid for by a Legacy firm, the regulation of which is his responsibility.


"If the Expedition was sold by my son to a rural bank... I don’t know how it will affect me because fist of all I had nothing to do with the rural bank. Secondly, I do not know if a favor was asked of me because there was no favor asked of me."

No favor asked of him? No wonder Celso de los Angeles was able to continue convincing parents to buy educational plans for their children even when his Legacy Plans was already on the brink of collapse and was unable to meet requirements of the SEC. They had a protector in the SEC.


It is no surprise also that Nograles is not enthusiastic about ethics. Because if Zialcita were to be investigated about his P100,000 a month consultancy with Legacy firms, he should also face the same committee for lobbying with Ric Tan, then the president of Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, to go soft on De los Angeles and his beleaguered banks.


In that meeting Nograles even mentioned that De los Angeles had helped a lot Vice President Noli de Castro. Tan didn’t accommodate Nograles. We are not sure if that was the reason he was replaced by Mike Osmeña who died. Nograles brother, Jose, is now PDIC president.


Nograles’ question, "Why ethics?" answers our lamentation why we have one corruption case after another and nobody gets punished.


Why ethics if you have a president who saw nothing wrong in calling a Comelec commissioner to ensure that she won by one million votes whether or not she was voted by the people.


The tragedy is becoming a comedy.

Gloria Arroyo ordered Martinez to go on leave. But the guy is retiring on Saturday, March 14!

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Ellen Says:
March 9th, 2009 at 5:15 pm

"The peace and unity that we are fighting for doesn’t mean closing our eyes and keeping silent to the anomalies that Gloria Arroyo [or any politician or person-Mod] is perpetrating in this country.

Because if we keep quiet to the lies that are being thrown our way, that means we agree to it. That means we support it."