Callous, clueless crooks

Videos of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong that are going around, speaking candidly and sensibly to his people in prompt reaction to global disruptions like the Trump tariffs, and lately, the United States-Israel war with Iran, evoke a longing “I wish he were our leader” feeling. Also going around is an old video of the late great Lee Kuan Yew, founding leader of that city-state, asserting that our country’s woes trace to our Constitution and governance system copied from America, which has massively failed us.

What the Philippines needs, according to Lee, is a strong and honest executive leader (the second adjective is crucial). Wong went through a rigorous four-year vetting process within the ruling People’s Action Party that reportedly examined his political mastery, integrity, communication and leadership skills, and more. In our US-modeled political system, leaders ascend to power on popularity alone, with no regard to their ability to effectively lead our people in building the strong, prosperous, and equitable nation we dream of.

Now making the rounds is an anonymous open letter to our political leaders, signed only as “The Filipino People You Mock, Rob, and Underestimate,” which I find worthy of quoting extensively here, hoping to help get it the attention of its intended addressees, and also to help keep public anger from dying down. The letter sets aside politeness and diplomacy, declaring that our political leaders, especially our lawmakers, “no longer deserve it.”

“Each of you swore [to] an oath—not to yourselves, not to your dynasties, but to the people. Yet what have you delivered? Endless committee hearings that go nowhere, speeches bloated with hot air, budgets swallowed whole by ghost projects and cronies. You strut like statesmen, but you crawl like parasites. You treat government not as a sacred duty, but as your personal ATM.

“Look at Nepal. Look at Indonesia. Do you think their governments ever imagined their palaces shaking from the fists of their own people? They, too, believed they were untouchable, that their greed could drown out the roar of the streets. But rage, once ignored, becomes revolution. Hindi niyo kayang takasan ang galit ng taong bayan.

“And here? Floods swallowing communities, hospitals starved of supplies, classrooms crumbling, farmers buried in debt, workers gasping under the weight of skyrocketing prices—yet you bicker over pork, positions, and contracts. Every motorcade of black SUVs you ride in is a slap in the face of the millions forced to commute like sardines. Every peso stolen is food stolen from the mouths of children.

“Mr. President, Senators, Representatives—you are sitting on a volcano. Every day you stall, every peso you pocket, every law you twist for your own gain—you feed the fire beneath you. Do not mistake Filipino patience for weakness. Hindi kami hangal. The day will come when no convoy, no palace walls, no title before your name will save you from the wrath of those you betrayed.

“Do your mandated work—and do it now. Not for applause, not for legacy, but because you have bled this nation long enough. Restore decency, protect the treasury, legislate for the people or step aside before you are swept aside.

“This is not just a warning. This is prophecy written in the streets of Kathmandu, shouted in the protests of Jakarta, and whispered in every angry Filipino heart. Learn from Nepal. Learn from Indonesia. Or prepare to be remembered not as leaders, but as the carcasses of a corrupt empire finally torn down.” (End of quote.)

Strong words, but I still worry that its intended effect on those addressed may keep being dampened by what I’ve described before as a collective attention deficit disorder (NFL, 9-9-25) and a national learning disability (NFL, 10-28-25) that seem to afflict us Filipinos. Others blame our forgiving nature, coming from our Christian faith unique in this part of the world. And so, the collective boiling point that would tip our social volcano may be much higher than in Nepal or Indonesia, even as many of us wish otherwise. In one of his last public speeches, Lee Kuan Yew declared, “You vote in jokers, cranks, weak men, charlatans with some gift of the gab, [and] you run a very serious risk of losing everything you have.” Many Filipinos were led to think he was alluding to us and our elected leaders.

The open letter, on the other hand, tempts me to think of “callous, clueless crooks”–malupit at manhid na mga magnanakaw–as better adjectives to describe the latter. To appeal to their patriotism seems wishful thinking; their demonstrated callousness already rules that out. Fear of losing power and of being brought to justice may indeed be the only deterrent that could move them to mend their ways. For this, we need to muster more public anger, but it has become even harder with the external distractions we now face.

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cielito.habito@gmail.com

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