Demand for Truth

What do ethics say in the condition of our society today?

Many people see that our government is filled with corruption. They see our president as a tool for corruption to which she was associated with jueteng scam, wiretapping, and the fertilizer scam. Before, she is also linked with the election fraud to which she apologized to the nation by merely stating “I am sorry.” in public.

Today, there is Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr., the whistle blower who exposed what he knew about the alleged kickbacks in the $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

With all these fraudulent actions that are rampant in our government, how does the field of politics, religion, and also our people respond?

Politics as we see is doing their part about the technicality of the situation. They are undergoing due process such as hearing in the senate but now, the battle arena over NBN shifts to Supreme Court. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the other hand, has released a statement telling their view about the situation and what should be done.

The CBCP which is in its neutral state are sort of general in their statement that they didn’t directly account for the president to resign. What they want is to junk the EO 464 and allow former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri and all summoned officials to testify in the inquiry on the broadband scandal.

Jun Lozada, if not for him, only a few would know about what is really happening in our government. He has awakened our people to search for truth. And recently, interfaith rallies are organized in various parts of the country especially in Makati. Even key political figures such as then presidents Joseph Estrada and Corazon Aquino, who is in full support of Lozada, join together in their search for truth and the call for Ms. Arroyo to resign.

Filipinos are tired of tolerating corruption but not moral bankruptcy that’s why many are joining rallies and a lot of them, according to the organizers, are fresh faces- the youth, and the businessmen, who also seeks for the truth.

Also, some don’t want to stage rallies because they are exhausted by the recurring situations and nothing changes. Some don’t see themselves taking part in EDSA I and II anymore because they think that people power is not the solution.

We should not wait for that where violence and rage comes in because the worst thing would probably be when the military to become the final arbiter.

All of us seek the truth and so we have to be united in search for it. That is, the problem which is there is no unity yet. Many have their own opinions and beliefs about the situation. Some say that we should wait for 2010 to elect for a new leader but then again, in retrospect, we will just tolerate moral bankruptcy because if for that, it’s like we are okay of what is happening in our country today-full of fraud and delusion.

Lozada, in his speech in a Mass for Truth at UST, said that a priest “close to the cardinals” had told him that he would have had “no problem” had Jaime Cardinal Sin--a moving force in the Edsa I and II People Power revolutions--been alive today (carried from the Inquirer issue Mar.3, 2008).

Also, one professor in the Ateneo once said, “You don’t wait. That’s not the stance. Actually, you should continue pushing.”

We should see, judge, and act in the right way and be not indifferent to the present condition of our society. Let’s be aware of the situation deliberating every detail of it before getting involved.