A culture of lies

Blame it on my colonial mentality, I have not developed a liking for Filipino, meaning Tagalog, movies. I confess to this aberration, a misplaced thought process actually, as I express my profound apologies to the nationalist in our midst. In my youth, when peers were wont to seeing motion pictures, I would only be enticed to come along if the film was foreign produced. Our celluloid industry never got my support, by way of patronage. So, the very popular Filipino actors and actresses like Da king and Swany (for Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces, respectively) were really just names to me. Nothing more.

Subsequent to the hustings of 2004, I heard Ms. Roces, perhaps gravely affected by her own perception that her husband was cheated in the polls, utter a remark that made me realize she was not just a pretty face. Her words were profound. "Ang sinungaling kapatid ng magnanakaw." It could be a Tagalog proverb of which I knew of no English equivalent. When I translated it, roughly as "the liar is the brother of the thief" I discovered that it carried as lot of sense.

I remember the words of Ms. Roces in relation to the spot where our own Cebu City south district Rep. Antonio V. Cuenco has placed himself in. To recall, a few days ago, Congressman Cuenco was interviewed by radioman Jhunnex Napallacan. In that interview, he acknowledged the receipt of two hundred thousand pesos from some personnel of Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Malacañang. For purpose of this write up, I should refer to its as the first statement. I did not hear that interview myself but I read the relevant transcript as it was printed a local daily: Oh boy, I could imagine his very well modulated voice reverberating such admission. The clarity of his pronouncement should perceptively be most compatible with the seriousness of the issue. To me, there was no doubt that he got the huge sum of money without him being required to sign any document in acknowledgment of such receipt.

Later, he was reported to have recanted the context of his radio interview, Congressman Cuenco, this time denied having received the Malacañang monetary gift. His cover was that he was simply joking. I should call this as the second statement.

By claiming that his first statement was a joke, Congressman Cuenco was, in effect, telling us that his acknowledgment of having received two hundred thousand pesos was not true. He fabricated a story and played with our embarrassing sense of incredulity by his proceeding to convince us that it was fact. What he failed to realize was that if it was not true that he got the huge pile of money from Malacañang, declaring it to be so to the radio listeners was a lie. In effect, he lied in his first statement. He lied to the radio listeners. In that regard, our beloved representative fell squarely to the word which the dictionary assigns for one who peddles a lie-liar.

Congressman Cuenco tried a funny way to extricate himself from an incriminating declaration by saying that this first statement was a joke. What he did not know was that by saying that he was simply jesting, the legislator fell flat on his face as nobody laughed. Everybody, instead, raised his quizzical eyebrow. How could we be sure that his second statement was not another lie? If he lied to us in his first statement there was an even greater chance that he lied again when he made his second statement.

I am worried by the culture of lies was seem to be developing. Despite its being claimed as a lie, I feel that indeed money changed hands from Malacañang to Cong. Cuenco. But, if our representative sticks to his second statement, the words of Ms. Roces now assume an uglier turn because I can surmise that there is also an attempt to steal it from being viewed by the public.