Both reports pointed to the likely involvement of security forces in many of the extrajudicial killings in the country since Ms Gloria M. Arroyo began squatting in Malacañang in 2001.

Not surprisingly, Arroyo and her military masters denied the allegations but took steps that are at best half measures, purportedly to investigate past killings and to prevent future ones. Less than a month later, two more killings of militants took place, one of them a witness in the UN Special Rapporteur’s investigation.

With the hearings conducted by the United States Senate and the threat of withholding economic and military aid to the Philippines, full measures may finally be taken by the Arroyo regime to earnestly investigate and stop the killings.

***

While the US move does smack of interference in a domestic affair, one should not lose sight of the fact that first, it could have been avoided had Arroyo and her generals taken immediate and appropriate action on the unexplained killings and second, Arroyo herself, instead of rejecting the interference, decided to send a group of police and military officials posthaste to Washington, "just in case, kuno" they are invited to give testimony at the hearings.

Administration ally and senate reelectionist Joker Arroyo said the PNP and AFP officers dispatched by Arroyo to Washington were merely on a junket. I agree. With the voluminous documents already sent to our ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa, there obviously was no need to send the officers, unless Arroyo does not have full trust and confidence in Gaa’s ability to hold his own.

***

The American ambassador, Kristie Kenney, who has been behaving more like a pro-consul lately, said of the US congressional hearings: "I think it’s wonderful my country is interested in things going on here. That shows how much Americans care about the Philippines and how much we pay attention to it."

Fine. But if the Americans really care that much about the Philippines, how about paying a little more attention to and cleaning up the toxic wastes that American forces left behind in Clark and Subic? And how about making sure that no toxic wastes are left behind in Basilan and Sulu?

Also, how about giving our World War II veterans what’s due them before they all die? Somehow, I get the feeling that that is really what the Americans want to happen. Tell me I’m wrong, please.

***

Ms. Arroyo described the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) report that the Philippines is now the most corrupt country in Asia as a mere perception.

Mere perception? My foot! Where has she been all this time? Is she now suffering from selective amnesia? Has she forgotten the anomalous IMPSA deal featuring her first secretary of justice, the Piatco fiasco, Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante and the fertilizer scam, the Supreme Court-nullified Comelec computerization contract, the Venable contract involving her national security adviser, the General Carlos Garcia case, the Jose Pidal caper, the P1.2 billion, 1.5 kilometer Diosdado Macapagal boulevard, the P200,000 lamp posts that actually cost P16,000 each installed at the Cebu International Convention Center for the recent Asean Summit, etc., etc., ad nauseum?

At the same time that she is making the ludicrous assertion that corruption in the country is a mere perception, her spokesman was admitting that a "culture of corruption" exists but that the government has taken concrete steps to address the problem.

I have news for him.

Constancia de Guzman, chair of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), was reported as having admitted that Malacañang has not acted on at least 21 cases that the PAGC had submitted to it. The cases reportedly involve corrupt high officials of the regime, including a Cabinet member. Also among them is the case of National Printing Office director Felipe Evardone who was finally relieved of his job last month. But what about the rest? What "concrete steps" have been taken to punish the erring officials? Pray tell.

In a speech over the weekend, Ms. Arroyo promised to plug revenue leaks, prosecute tax cheats and smugglers, address corruption in the bureaucracy and crack down on "wayward spending" in the government. If she could pull these off, history may yet be kinder in judging her.

***

Bangladesh, the former titleholder as the most corrupt in Asia, can put us to shame with its present campaign against corruption.

A military-backed government, not unlike Ms. Arroyo’s, has so far jailed at least 40 prominent public officials and businessmen on charges of corruption and related offenses. The biggest catch was Tarique Rahman, the son of the last prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia.

I guess it would be too much to expect a similar action from the Arroyo regime. The images in the mirror would look too familiar.

***

What concerns me most about the fire that gutted one of the Comelec buildings recently is not the loss of documents that pertain to election protests or other related cases. Based on the election body’s track record most, if not all, of those cases will be decided immediately before or after the completion of the term of the parties against whom the protests had been filed.

Among those burnt are the records of the Commission on Audit (COA). That’s what we should worry about. It was COA that discovered the anomalies surrounding the P1.3 billion contract entered into by chairman Benjamin Abalos and company regarding the computerization of elections. The Supreme Court declared the contract null and void and ordered the Ombudsman to investigate the election commissioners concerned and file the appropriate charges against them.

Although the Ombudsman, who is reportedly very close to Mr. and Ms. Arroyo, later cleared Abalos and company of any wrongdoing, a motion for reconsideration of her decision has been filed with the appellate court.

With the burning of the COA records, the obvious implication is that the case against the erring officials may now have gone up in smoke. That would be most tragic!