THE MOUNTAINEER

Truth and morals
EDISON L. BADDAL

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Having risked life and limb just to bring to the awareness of the
Filipino people the unaldulterated truth about the malevolent involvement of people
from the corridors of power in the controversial NBN-ZTE deal, Jun Lozada is now
the toast of the country.

Not having been deterred by vicious attempts of administration hatchet men to prevent him from testifying in the Senate regarding the deal, he is almost elevated as an icon to the extent of being lionized as a hero. The latter claim is not without basis as he was able to wriggle free from a sinister six-hour joyride that he subjected to after he was fetched from a plane which he rode on from a pleasure trip in Hongkong. Said junket was sponsored by his friends in high places with stakes in the deal allegedly to buy his silence.

If not for high-tech triangulation by which his exact location was pinpointed by his relatives, he could have ended a goner, ala- Dacer. Admittedly, such display of fortitude and gumption with obvious threats of bodily harm to his person and family notwithstanding is nothing short
of courageous.

And having spilled all that he was privy about on the attempt of some high officials to squeeze illegal gains from the deal proved to all and sundry that he is a one-man wrecking crew. He likewise proved that he is not one to be regarded lightly by those he implicated of shenanigans in the deal, despite his lean physical frame and clownish looks.

This despite all attempts by the former to neutralize him by all means. Indeed, his damaging
testimony sort of scuttled the hull of the impregnable ship of the current dispensation that virtually rendered it a deadweight in the turbulence that followed.

At any rate, bucking the very center of power is a no mean feat especially for an ordinary Filipino, a mere probinsyano at that. What’s more, it exposed to the Filipino people the rotten and
contemptible acts that those in power are involved in and are prone to.

In the first place, it lent credence to the various shenanigans thrown against the administration in the past topped by the infamous “hello Garci” scandal.

This scandal was of such magnitude that almost toppled the government in the middle of 2005. But the government’s notable economic performance was the saving grace by which it managed to surmount the said controversy as well as earlier but proportionately malevolent controversies. In effect, this mettle in steering the economy to its feet despite the odds is the reason why it survived all past crisis.

This mettle also buoyed the people’s anticipation for a better tomorrow for the Philippines so that the past controversies were not given much attention. If anything, this hope suppressed any EDSA-like sentiments of the general populace so it made them unenthusiastic about joining protests. Hence, for the past years since the incipience of the present government even the “hello Garci” scandal failed to galvanize any massive protest against the administration.

The fence-sitting stance of the church by which it virtually distanced itself from actual involvement in state affairs also literally freed the current dispensation of any imminent danger including the NBN-ZTE controversy which just recently entered the picture.

However, the NBN-ZTE controversy is proving to be different with its sting appearing to be somewhat sharper than the past controversies. If those in the vanguard of “oust Gloria movement” will persist in their walk, things might turn out for worst for the government.

At worst, it might still prove to be the Achilles heel of the current government. This is shown by the fact that despite the NEDA declaration of a spanking 7.1% GDP growth of the economy for CY 2007, the highest economic achievement of any government in the past three decades, protests appear to be gathering strength as days pass by.

Although, many from the most vulnerable sector or the bakya crowd would rather attend to their basic needs than participate in rallies, the government is unmistakably reeling from its negative ramifications.

Although, credit goes to the administration for keeping the peso strong against the mighty dollar despite this domestic disturbance, the economy is still affected what with the low transactions registered in stocks during massive protest days. The stock transactions are a daily barometer of the performance of the economy.

To make matters worse, the Makati businessmen who are vital stakeholders and basically in the forefront in the economic development are among those in the center of protests.

This could not prevent the protests from affecting the economy unfavorably because Makati, their economic bastion, is the financial capital of the country.

It can be recalled that protests were also broadly participated by the Makati businessmen at the start of “juetengate” of the previous Estrada regime. While the business sector are appreciative of the sound economic fundamentals being implemented by the present dispensation, the humongous corruption connected with the deal made them sullen and cynical against the government.

This despite the installation of salutary economic policies which in the long term are in sync with the basic principles of economic recovery that the dispensation mounted at its
incipience. But, as to how far the protests can go in dislodging the leader from Malacanang, only time can tell.
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Lately, Lozada has been under mordant attacks from his enemies and detractors which included
people under his supervision during his stint at the DENR. The crux of the caustic attacks are centered on his sexual promiscuity. In their declaration, Lozada was described as a sex fiend and has a mistress with kids to boot.

The malicious sex morals imputed against him is part of the counterattack to malign his credibility as a star witness in the broadband deal. Undoubtedly, this has been resorted to in order to put him in bad light in the bar of public opinion.

To put matters in proper perspective, truth is a different issue from morality. For one thing, truth can stand scrutiny independently from others, including morals. One thing more, there is such a thing a public morals and private morals.

Public morality strikes at the behavior of people in government with regards to the delivery of public service while private morality is concerned with the behavior of a person vis-à-vis another person or a community at large. Truth is more objective, let alone salutary for for public consumption
whereas morals is more or less private and subjective although it affects the public in
some ways.

Basically, morality is more concerned with principles, precepts and instructions on what is good or bad behavior in the eyes of the public but in the case of truth, it encompasses everything about an issue whether the person who is stating truth has a good or bad behavior.

In Lozada’s case, whether the allegations of immorality against his person may be true or not is basically beside the point.

His morality is not the issue about the broadband deal but rather the attempt to expose humongous bribery perpetrated by the high and mighty in said deal. It is an inadvertent advocacy of reforms in public service as well as regeneration of those public morals or values that should be personified by those in power. A philosopher once stated that leadership is personification of change if a leader hopes that such change is to be manifested in people.

Change must radiate in a leader’s persona for whatever kind of society that he envisions to lead.
He is change incarnate as well as a change agent himself.

In more ways than one, the truth crusade launched by Lozada may be a means to put an end or to forewarn against shenanigans of government officials and workers. It may a blessing in disguise as it will surely have a long term effect in improvement of public service not only for the present generations but for generations to come.