MANILA, 27 September 2003 — Struggling to find new ways to uproot corruption, a citizens’ anti-graft watchdog has launched a “report-a-mistress” campaign that targets officials suspected of spending government money on love affairs.
Since the campaign was launched Thursday by the Citizens Battle Against Corruption or CiBAC as part of efforts to check corruption among government officials, the group has received at least 500 calls, e-mails and text messages from individuals reporting government officials or employees with mistresses, House Rep. Kim Lokin said.
Rep. Joel Villanueva, another CiBAC representative in Congress, said the “violators” included Cabinet secretaries, senators and congressmen. He refused, however, to identify any officials.
“Report-a-mistress is not an attack against mistresses. We are just looking here at the corruption aspect, so this is more like a corruption check than a morality check,” Lokin told DZMM radio station.
“Our premise here is a public servant or government employee often complains that the pay in government is so small ... if that is so, how can some of them have two, three or four families?” she asked.
“What we can do is gather and verify the information.
Lokin said complaints received by the group will be investigated by the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation. Officials suspected of corruption face criminal and administrative charges, and penalties range from dismissal to prison terms.
Lokin said the identities of officials suspected of having mistresses will not be made public unless the cases are filed in court.
The Philippines is a predominantly Roman Catholic nation, but it is not uncommon for Filipino men to have mistresses and even second families.
Former President Joseph Estrada, who has admitted to siring children by several women, was ousted in a “people power” revolt in 2001 on corruption charges, which allege that he kept palatial mansions for his mistresses.
Civil Service Commission Chairwoman Karina David estimates that about 20 percent of public servants are corrupt, and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has already ordered a “lifestyle check” of all public servants to make sure they live within their means.
Banner Case for Abused Women
CiBAC’s campaign was apparently spurred by the scandal involving former President Corazon Aquino’s youngest daughter, television talk show and actress Kris Aquino.
Earlier this week, Kris publicly accused her ex-lover, suburban Para?aque mayor Joey Marquez who is a married man, of threatening to shoot her during a fight.
She also revealed that after infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease, Marquez also allegedly accused her of having other men and that now that she has disease, “no other man would accept her anymore.”
In an interview on GMA 7’s “Frontpage” at the same time Wednesday night, Marquez denied Kris’ claims and in turn accused her of inflicting bruises on herself and of having suicidal tendencies, and of being a “man-eater.”
Lokin said Marquez would be a subject of a “report-a-mistress” investigation if someone came forward with a complaint and evidence against him.
While the shocking confession, aired live on national television, was mostly a treat for soap opera fans and rumor mongers in the Philippines, the bittersweet love story has become a banner case for women’s rights advocates.
“Kris has broken the Filipino women’s culture of silence on domestic violence,” according to women’s group Gabriela. “We admire her courage and we hope more women will learn to fight back against their abusers.”
Activists also noted that Kris was able to bring to the limelight the suffering of many women in the Philippines, who bear in silence the philandering ways of their husbands and even infections with sexually transmitted diseases.
'Sorry' Plea Rejected
Marquez reportedly apologized to Kris in a mobile phone talk on Thursday afternoon, but they are not back in each other’s arms.
Her lawyer Archie Fortun confirmed that he and her other lawyers are filing charges against Marquez on Monday.
“We’re filing charges of physical injuries and grave threats,” Fortun told the Inquirer. “We’re contemplating filing charges of illegal possession of firearms also. And we’re definitely filing an administrative complaint of violation of the code of conduct for public officials. We expect the case to be forwarded to the regional trial court.”
The Inquirer yesterday confirmed that Kris and Marquez talked last Thursday when he called her on her cell phone from the cell phone of their mutual friend, actor and TV host Anjo Yllana.
A witness, who was with Kris when she and Marquez talked on the phone, said the mayor was “apologetic” and trying to woe her back.
Kris, according to the source, told Marquez, “You said I should tell the truth, that’s what I did. I told the truth. But then you issued a statement, you went around, and you lied.”
Kris soon hung up even as Marquez was still talking on the other end of the line, the witness said.
“Unfortunately,” Kris added, according to the source, “he is of such low character that after his apology, he issued a statement denying everything categorically.”
Marquez’s statement was reportedly read on ABS-CBN’s “Dong Puno Live” Thursday night.
“I am very angry,” Kris said yesterday, her voice trembling. “I would have wanted closure, who doesn’t? But he should have acknowledged that I wasn’t lying.”
