A 24/7 television news channel called ANC puts it very vividly. In my life, I have never seen a despicable event more disturbing than the sight of two men making contrasting pronouncements on national television. I am referring to the tv spots, obviously culled from live interviews, which ANC shows every now and then. By zooming its cameras on a Sen. Jinggoy Estrada asking a former COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos whether the latter offered a ten million dollar bribe to a Jose de Venecia III, the tv channel clearly projects the denial of the former elections czar. “No, definitely not, your…”. Then, a split second later, the cameras pan to the young de Venecia, as the same Sen. Estrada asks whether Abalos made such a ten million dollar bribe. Without batting an eyelash, Joey, (that’s how he is called, right?) declares that Abalos had, indeed, made such an offer. This spot is repeated a number of times each day for us to realize the depravity of some men and for us to reexamine ourselves.
Abalos and Joey could not be both telling the truth. Either of them was preaching a falsehood. In my book, I discerned who was lying and felt a tsunami like surge of indignation. Unfortunately, after my initial feeling of utter disgust, I, like most, probably, allowed my Filipino virtue of being pliant to rein. Roll with the punch, so to speak. Upon seeing the seemingly undisturbed faces of our fellowmen, I could not help but conclude that the lies, showing on tv screens everywhere, had no impact upon us. It was as if, we have completely lost the last fiber of our sense of truthfulness.
Then, the other day, a leading newspaper wrote a headline story not quite dissimilar in magnitude to the lies projected on ANC’s spots. It was the news of members of the lower chamber of Congress being herded by a modern-day pied piper to Malacañang. Of course, paying a visit to the president is not ignoble. What made me puke was that part of the story which reported envelopes changing hands. By the fact that the news was denied only indicated that if true, the distribution of sizeable sums of money could not be labeled in any other way than the kind of corruption that somehow categorized the reported offer of Abalos to Joey.
By quirk of fate, ANC carried footages, again, very vividly, of a former congressman claiming to have received the same disturbing information. Without naming his sources other than saying they were his friends, the ex-legislator, now a vice governor, reprising the role of Joey, invited trouble (make that, broke my heart) by alleging that our representatives received oodles of money. While he studiously did not say “corruption”, his careful language clearly stood as euphemism for some unholy consideration. Yet, back-to-back his serious assignment of warped morality was a sweeping denial of the same character as those of the former election chairman. Huh? I was treated to another televised show of falsehood whose precursor was the Abalos/Joey caper!
It is sad that lies are peddled blatantly. What appalls all the more is the fact that the purveyors of falsehood are not the ordinary mortals whose pronouncements do not impact on the lives of any one. Son-of-a-gun! The liars are those wielding tremendous powers. Yes, the very persons, upon most of whom we have entrusted our government, are responsible for these perjuries. And they lie through their teeth in front of national television!
Where have we gone wrong? I can see that our culture seems to develop in the undesirable direction. There is an urgent need for a concerted socio-political effort to redirect our values. Our religious leaders must be more aggressive to tread the so-called path less traveled. From the academic campuses should spring forth a renewed vigor to strengthen our preference of truth over falsehood. Among the few righteous men in government, let their examples shine to such a glitter as to humiliate the perverts among them. We still have time for all these. We can still be honest, right friends?