Power doesnt corrupt people, people corrupt power.

William Gaddis
Rolando Espinosa, mayor of Albuera, Leyte was featured on the editorial
entitled as High living which was released last August 6, 2016 on Philippine Daily
Inquirer. The central point is about a news which came to light when President
Rodrigo Duterte publicly tagged Espinosa as a drug coddler. The mayor and his son
Kerwin Espinosa were given 24 hours to turn themselves in, or risk death if they
resisted arrest. Mayor Espinosa admitted that his son deals with drugs but he
himself was clean. The Espinosas are being under investigation for allegedly
coddling drug traffickers. Consequently, it was also reported that the police killed
six bodyguards of the mayor in an operation to search the family compound in
Albuera. But even after this incident, there is yet no warrant of arrest nor is there
any case against him and his son.
A mayor should be one of those who should fight corruption, but they should
also need to ensure that they are clean. My view on this issue, I agree that the PNP
together with the government should work hand in hand to better suppress the drug
syndicates. Because of some evidences such as, a third-class municipality mayor
receives only a monthly salary of 23,000-27,000 which owns a hotel, a number of
mansions, jet skis, and even exotic animals imported from different places. This
made me think of queries such as how come? For me, this is lavishness. It shows
beyond the earning capacity of the mayor of a small town. The government should
take this seriously and determine whether if the properties are his and if so, how
had he managed to acquire those luxurious things. Espinosa is said to be the owner
of a 20-room five-story hotel, at least three extensive mansions, one with a
swimming pool, a compound that houses a gym, jet skis and a lot of collection of
snakes.
The Duterte administration has to be much more active with its campaign of
suppressing crimes and drugs throughout the Philippines by less focusing on smalltime pushers who came from desperately poor families and more on the local
government officials who have the capability to better protect themselves and
spread much more drugs in and out of the county. Maybe this would be a major
challenge to the government but this could be the possible solution to suppress
crimes and drugs. The worst disease in the world today is corruption. And the cure

is transparency. But how could our new administration exhibit transparency on

different officials? People of the Philippines must need to better choose the right
leader. It is only a two way, choose the right candidate or suffer for how many
years. We should aim and act towards our own vision of change.

Power doesnt corrupt people, people corrupt power. William Gaddis

Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves.
The worst disease in the world today is corruption. And the cure is transparency.