The August 26 One Million Protest March against the P10-Billion scam could have achieved its purpose with the number of citizens swarming all over Luneta, where the national hero Jose Rizal was executed by the ruling Spaniards at the turn of the century.
An aerial photograph made by a drone with 12-megapixel camera launched by urban planner and architect Paul Alcarazen showed the crowd occupying almost the entire area.
The scam was masterminded by businesswoman Janet Napoles with the collusion of Philippine mayors, congressman and senators.
A week or so ago, Archbishop Cardinal Chito Tagle expressed his reaction ("horror and sorrow," according to a newspaper columnist) on the anomaly that has shocked the nation, and continue to be shocked as more details of the money scandals are unearthed one after the other.
Here's the lamentation of the good archbishop, expressed at a press conference at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila:
"Who would not be shocked about it? You can see the magnitude of the money involved. Your heart would be crushed. How can someone do this to his fellow man?
"Whoever is involved there, I appeal to you, visit a community of informal settlers... walk there at night and you will see on the sidewalk the families who open these cartons on which they would sleep. Maybe if you could hold their hands, your hearts will be touched. Sometimes I think those who did this were able to do so because the poor are absent in their lives. Maybe they don't see them or refuse to see them."
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