Photo credit: Mico Clavano

In our provincial home, far from Metro Manila's noise and bustle, we watch houses slowly rise, foundations dug deep, walls carefully built, beams secured, and roofs raised with precision.

Over coffee, a good friend sent us a column by Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV, who wrote that building a corruption case is like building a house: it needs strong foundations, patience, and precision.

We agree with Clavano, a fine choice by Ombudsman Boying Remulla from the DOJ to join him in the Office of the Ombudsman.

As he wrote, “You would never start by stacking hollow blocks on muddy soil... Otherwise, the first strong wind or tremor would bring it all crashing down.”

While we appreciate his analogy, we gently remind Clavano that foundation is not enough, speed is equally vital. A case built with care but slowed by delay risks collapse, leaving the public to face the ruin of accountability.

Strength matters, yes, but speed is the keystone that determines whether justice endures or falls. Justice here has long been hostage to time.

Each day of delay allows evidence to vanish, memories to fade, witnesses to retreat. What begins as a righteous pursuit becomes a tired headline, buried under newer scandals.

According to Remulla, the government may have lost P600-billion in graft cases that were dismissed not for lack of merit, but due to inordinate delay.

The 2004 PDAF or “pork barrel” scam shows this clearly. Hundreds of billions meant for public projects were siphoned into fake NGOs.

More than a decade later, only a few convictions stand. Big names like Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. walked free, while small fry went to jail.

Witnesses died, evidence disappeared, and public outrage faded.

Even recent cases show the same drift. In 2016, Ombudsman Conchita Morales ordered Senator Joel Villanueva’s dismissal over the alleged misuse of P10-million in pork barrel funds.

Two years later, Ombudsman Samuel Martires cleared him, proof that timing can spell the difference between accountability and impunity.

Meanwhile, the Pharmally scandal, involving P7-billion in pandemic procurement, continues to stall despite exhaustive hearings. Delay erodes not just the law but public trust in it.

We understand that public prosecutors, like builders, must work with care. Every affidavit verified, every witness secured, every procedural step observed.

They are often overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, yet they bear the burden of building cases strong enough to withstand the storms of politics and pressure.

But care without momentum lets corruption outpace accountability. Strength alone is not enough; speed is essential.

Injustice festers in both acquittals and inaction. The public asks not for miracles, only justice that is strong, swift, and visible.

The flood control scandal now under Senate scrutiny will test this balance. Trillions were allocated, ghost projects alleged, overpricing suspected.

Will prosecutors build a cathedral of justice or will delays again reduce it to rubble?

People are watching, hungry for accountability, wary of another Estrada, Revilla, Napoles, or Pharmally episode where the powerful slip through while the small fry pay the price.

The P723-million fertilizer fund scam dragged on for nearly two decades until delays and weak prosecution led to the dismissal of charges against former DA Undersecretary Joc-Joc Bolante, long after outrage had faded.

Speed matters, not to shortcut due process but to preserve the law’s moral authority. Cases that drag on lose force; witnesses tire, documents vanish, and the accused grow bolder.

Justice delayed too long becomes justice denied, not just to victims, but to accountability itself.

Building strong cases remains vital, but the government must also build efficiently, using modern tools and procedures to keep momentum alive.

The current Ombudsman has made the office more proactive and public-facing, pushing for investigations that are visible, responsive, and credible.

Digitized records and faster filings are small but crucial steps that can help prevent future collapses of major cases.

As Clavano wrote, “Prosecutors and investigators are builders of truth.”

But even the strongest structure falters if construction never ends. A house, no matter how sturdy, is useless if never finished. Justice, no matter how righteous, loses meaning when it arrives too late.

The people are tired of waiting.

Ang nakaraang baha sa Cebu, ang mga gumuhong tulay at sira-sirang kalsada, ay paalala ng patuloy na pagsasamantala sa pondo ng bayan.

Hanggang kailan tayo maghihintay ng hustisya, kapag lubog na sa baha ang Bulacan, Mindoro, at iba pang lalawigan?

Kailangang ipakita ng pamahalaan na kaya nitong panagutin nang mabilis at naayon sa batas ang mga nagkasala, makapangyarihan o mayaman man ang mga ito.

Ed Javier

Ed Javier is a veteran communicator with over 35 years of experience in corporate, government, and advocacy communications, spanning the terms of seven Philippine presidents. He is also a political analyst, entrepreneur, and media professional. Drawing on this experience, he delivers clear, accessible analysis of political, governance, and business issues.