Hi Roming I like your heading when you used the word Guardians you make a valid point, to define Guardian a page out of Thesaurus:-
Guardian - a person who cares for persons or property defender, protector, shielder
admonisher, monitor, reminder - someone who gives a warning so that a mistake can be avoided
bodyguard, escort - someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
paladin, champion, fighter, hero - someone who fights for a cause
chaperon, chaperone - one who accompanies and supervises a young woman or gatherings of young people
custodian, keeper, steward - one having charge of buildings or grounds or animals
fire fighter, fire-eater, firefighter, fireman - a member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires
foster parent, foster-parent - a person who acts as parent and guardian for a child in place of the child's natural parents but without legally adopting the child
guard - a person who keeps watch over something or someone
keeper - someone in charge of other people; "am I my brother's keeper?"
law officer, lawman, peace officer - an officer of the law
patron saint - a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation
peacekeeper - someone who keeps peace; "she's the peacekeeper in that family"
preserver - someone who keeps safe from harm or danger
tribune - (ancient Rome) an official elected by the plebeians to protect their interests
watchdog - a guardian or defender against theft or illegal practices or waste; "she is the global watchdog for human rights abuses"
Posted by Roming
WHO are the guardians of the people's tax money? An officer of the so-called peoples caucus this week urged the probe of the unaccounted funds of the peace process in Mindanao amounting to P170 M, referred to as just a tip of the iceberg.
Rebuilding lives?
The group's officer said this amount could have helped rebuild the lives of thousands of evacuees in Maguindanao through housing, livelihood aid and medicines.
Most of us don't expect that the missing R170 M would walk fast and return to official coffers. Officials who hold public funds for various purposes know the limit of spending.
Some limit
There's a short line in the Constitution defining "irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant or unconscionable expenditures or uses of government funds and properties."
It is understood that theft of government fund/property is more serious than the above but is the method generally chosen by public officers who hold or deal with tax money.
It's not true that only accountable government employees like those disbursing cold cash, may commit malversation. They're small-time compared to elective or appointive officials who sign or propose contracts/obligations payable by the government.
Experts?
We have all the experts, such as auditors, to prevent plunder, malversation or diversion of public funds. According to critics their expertise is limited to writing reports about theft of public funds.
Illustration: Organizing a private army by a provincial official is pretty expensive. This vice requires purchase of arms costing millions and employment of hundreds of terrorists as soldiers. Whose money was budgeted for this outfit's operation - to waste lives and homes?
Tax money for private armies
The experts in the government (some of them are in Congress) continue to invest (appropriate is the proper term) billions of tax money to buy arms, vehicles and pay illiterate and bearded soldiers, capable of squeezing triggers at the drop of a hat. This led to the outrage in Maguindanao that killed 57 innocent Filipinos, including 32 journalists.
It's incredible that the private army's free and open existence, for years, had remained a deep secret or mystery to the national administration, especially Congress, the AFP and PNP.
Funding a massacre
Was the massacre in November 2009 a likelihood or predictable? The means, arms and fund for the massacre, probably came from tax money. The organizers, whoever they were, were not big-time businessmen or investors in productive farms in Mindanao or exporters of vast quantities of fruits/farm products.
The power of life/death wielded by private army lords can topple a vast region of provinces/cities regularly supported by tax money.
Magsaysay and Ninoy
Long before Ramon Magsaysay's election as president in November 1953 he had restored discipline, efficiency and morale to the AFP and the Constabulary (the national police, now PNP).
Insurgency in Mindanao was limited to Sulu and Tawi-Tawi groups of islands which was easily defeated. In Central Luzon the Huk movement faced a virtual rout from brilliant field commanders like Col. Napoleon Valeriano (he retired as major general in the US Army).
After Magsaysay took his oath as president (December 30, 1953) one of his first acts was to negotiate the peaceful surrender of Huk supremo Luis Taruc. A young journalist, 22-year-old Ninoy Aquino, was Magsaysay's negotiator of the peace process. After the surrender Aquino became as popular as Magsaysay.
Truman and Eisenhower, Jan. 20, 1953
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) had beaten Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson by a large majority: 33.9 M to 27.3 M in popular votes and 442 to 89 in the electoral votes. The Republicans campaigned on issues that included the Korean War, the graft scandals in which some Truman subordinates had been involved and accusations that the Truman administration was "soft on communists in government."
Glum and honest
The press had called Truman "unswervingly honest." His wallet contained postage stamps for letters to friends and kin in Independence, Missouri.
It was a cold January morning when Eisenhower called on Truman at the White House for the traditional ride to the Capitol inaugural rites. Truman appeared glum, according to reports, and did not shake hands with Eisenhower.
By train to his home state
Truman directed the White House driver, before Eisenhower ascended the Capitol stairs, to proceed to Union Station where he and wife Bess took a train to Independence, Missouri.
Historians have rated Truman one of the ten greatest US presidents.
(Comments are welcome at roming@pefianco.com).
