To my Countrymen

We have been branded the most corrupt nation in Asia, a tag of shame we all decry – and it is time we take stock of ourselves, not to deny or blame others – but to face this grave challenge and stem the crisis that continues to plague the nation, to sap our moral values, and distort our determination to build the future.
Nations face varied challenges, just like men. Sometimes they face glory, other times shame. The US faced glory when they preserved the union under Abraham Lincoln in the cauldron of civil war; they faced shame over the issue of slavery and severe prejudice against the Negroes which worsened after World War 2.We here in the Philippines faced glory when we fought and won freedom against Spain before the turn of the 20th century; today we face shame over corruption.
In the United States the Americans themselves fought a long battle to obliterate the shame against the treatment of the blacks. The Negroes led the struggle under the inspired leadership of men like Martin Luther King. They defied segregation, enrolled in schools despite prohibitions, voted in the face of challenge. Many whites joined them – in a righteous cause cast in furnace by Lincoln in the wake of civil war many years ago. And Slowly…yet Surely, the tide turned. Legislation, Fresh Jurisprudence, New Perspectives – until the whole nation joined hands to stamp out forever the vestiges of that shame. Today, the black stands equal to the white – and the United States grew stronger because they overcame shame.
We can do no less against corruption.
The Filipino is not by nature corrupt. We only have to turn back the pages of history and see anew the image of Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio as they met for the first time to disscuss the formation of a new movement, La Liga Filipina, Rizal having sacrificed the meager sums sent him from home to publish Noli Me Tangere, and Andres Bonifacio struggling as a bodegero in the wake of the founding of Katipunan Both were men of integrity, both with visions for an emerging nation. They and the generation that lived and died with them spawned the first democracy in Asia.
After the Philippine American war, we changed course to regain independence from the fields of battle to the political arena.
We generated people with principles. During the American regime, when Leonard Wood sat as Governor General, an American detective, Roy Conely, was appointed to the Manila Police Force. Rumors of bribery surfaced against him. And Jose Abad Santos as Secretary of Justice, filed appropriate complaints. Conely was acquitted of criminal charges and Governor General Wood wanted him resinstated immediately, but the administrative report strongly advised against Conely’s continued stay in the service. Wood reacted angrily. He terminated Conely’s suspension, remitted any forefeiture he had to pay, and approved his retirement, in effect clearing him of any administrative taint. Jose Abad Santos considered that unjust. He resigned.
The ravages of war and the brutal occupation under Japanese forces distorted Filipino values for a time, even as they brought forth many unsung heroes across the land. We rose from the ruins and proudly learned the legacy of a brave woman like Josefa Llanes Escoda, founder of the Philippine Girl Scouts, who stood by her husband, both tortured and slain by the Kempetai in Fort Santiago.
In l946 we regained independence. Corruption reared its ugly head but men like Ceasar Climaco, Arsenio H. Lacson, and Benigno S. Aquino fought the good fight. In l972 we went thru the rigors of marital rule and for the first year or two some said authoritarian rule could have been the right response to corruption. It was not. In l986 EDSA we stood proud across the world with a new found freedom.
Yet today the challenge of corruption has grown bigger, uglier; but the larger it grows, the more we must prepare for a bigger better response. Chief Justice Reynaldo Puno has already made a significant start. Under his stewardship, the Supreme Court has already dismissed an erring Court of appeals Justice, already heard the pleas of election lawyers concerning injustices in protest cases, already prohibited spouses of justices from appointments to Court officers. His move may just spout a ripple in a huge national lake – but the ripple can turn into an eddy and the eddy into a strong whirlpool of change. We commend the Chief Justice.
We must fight corruption. In the homes, in schools, in churches, in government itself. Let’s start with ourselves, in our dealing with friends, with associates. According to an eminent statesman, “example is the fastest model, the quickest guide –from fathers to children, from teachers to pupils, from generals to privates.” Let us begin now to fight the battle against corruption. If we do so we tap not only the native honesty of the Filipino but also his love for the country. Let us start to restore pride and dignity to the Filipino. He deserves no less.