The endless hearings in Congress, the Senate, and even so-called independent commissions on government anomalies are a sham. They pretend to seek truth and accountability, but in reality, these probes are staged performances designed to pacify the anger of the people, insulting the intelligence of the citizens and further deepening the public’s disillusionment.
Time and again, when high-ranking officials and favored contractors are summoned to face inquiries, they are met not with real grilling but with pre-arranged questions and carefully rehearsed answers. Instead of exposing fraud and betrayal of public trust, the hearings become a platform for the accused to defend themselves under the protection of their allies. This scheme effectively transforms supposed accountability sessions into public relations campaigns that sanitize the image of plunderers while deceiving the nation into believing that due process is at work.
The mechanics of this deception are clear: the lawmakers or commissioners leading the probes are often political kin or beneficiaries of the same corrupt system. They cannot, and will not, cut the very rope that keeps them in power. This explains why no scandal, no matter how staggering the amount stolen, has ever ended in meaningful convictions. Billions disappear, and yet the cycle continues—untouched by genuine justice.
Meanwhile, the people remain the ultimate victims of this charade. Public funds meant for roads, schools, hospitals, and livelihood programs are lost in kickbacks, overpricing, and ghost projects. The spectacle of televised investigations may stir brief outrage, but it ultimately lulls citizens into false assurance that corruption is being confronted. In truth, it only buys time for the culprits, giving them cover until the noise dies down and another controversy takes center stage.
The country cannot continue tolerating these hollow rituals. Investigations must be taken out of the hands of politicians and vested interests, and entrusted instead to bodies with unquestionable independence, uncompromising integrity, and prosecutorial power for the guilty to be unmasked, punished, and barred from further looting. Anything less will only keep the nation enslaved by a system that thrives on lies and betrayal.
