Former military comptroller Carlos Garcia probably thought he already got away with it. And why not?

The Sandiganbayan had already approved his plea bargain with the Office of the Ombudsman, in which he was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offenses of indirect bribery and facilitating money laundering, instead of plunder, which is a non-bailable capital offense.

He had returned less than half the P303 million he was accused of stealing. Sure, he had to go through shaming sessions in the Senate and the House of Representatives, but in the end, he was able to go home a free man. In a few years, people would forget. Who knows, perhaps he could even begin to splurge again, enjoy some of the loot he was able to keep.

A lawmaker who once rued all the things that went wrong with Garcia’s prosecution said it aptly: Garcia was able to steal big and then he struck a deal to get off the hook.

What message did that send to present and future grafters in government? Not a very scary one, to be sure.

But Garcia’s surprise arrest last Friday morning sent a different, much scarier message to those who think they could use their ill-gotten wealth to twist the laws of the land to defend them. And it was a welcome message, too, for a people looking for that long-deserved comeuppance the President promised against the corrupt.

Because this President chose to confirm a verdict issued by the military court five years ago—the same verdict his predecessor, former president Gloria -Arroyo, practically ignored—Garcia is now in jail for violating the Articles of War 96 and 97.

Article of War 96 is “conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman” for failing to disclose/declare all his existing assets in 2002 and 2003 and for holding the status of an immigrant or permanent resident of the United States, thereby causing dishonor to the military profession.

Article of War 97, meanwhile is “conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline” for making untruthful statements under oath his true assets in his 2002 and 2003.

The people probably couldn’t care less what those military Articles actually mean for as long as Garcia gets some jail time.

Hopefully, this administration would find more ways to bolster the scant criminal prosecution of corruption in the past administration.

Garcia’s arrest shows that fighting corruption in this country may be an uphill battle, but this is why it is all the more important for the fight to start from the top.

When the leadership itself tolerates corruption, or worse, is responsible for it, then curbing corruption is next to impossible.

Only when reports in the media heated up was some action taken on Garcia, who later got his plea bargain courtesy of an Ombudsman who was perceived to be protective of the former president’s interests and who eventually had to resign for the monumental blunder.

The political will and courage to purge the powerful, corrupt forces in government can only come from a President who owes his presidency to the  people, and them alone, a president with a legitimate and popular mandate.

While it may be true that corruption has become both institutional and cultural, change starts with a President who will take tough and uncompromising action on corruption as the laws of the land dictate.