A deafening silence

Silence can be deafening.

There is the silence of apathy; the silence of a people who have become indifferent to a political system largely unresponsive to its needs. We have become a nation wracked with people-power fatigue, realizing that two (or three) highly visible manifestations of people power have not led to real reforms. Rather, they have only deepened the foothold of patronage politics and traditional politicians upon a nation sorely in need of hope and genuine change.

Then there is silence rooted in fear; the anxiety of individuals and groups who want to do something for the nation but do not want to be branded as either for or against certain power blocs and interest groups. It is the silence of those who seek transparency and accountability of public officials from both sides of the political spectrum but are concerned that any action on its part may only lead to further instability and uncertainty.

Silence can also come from a discerning heart; from the sober and prayerful judgment of law-abiding citizens who feel that in the current chain of crisis gripping our nation, there is much sound and fury signifying nothing and much admixture of what is real and reel; a realization that until the smoke and dust of partisan politics settles down, the truth will be distorted and manipulated for such political ends.

We at Barug Pilipino have been silent on current political issues, not because of a lack of resolve or love of country but because, like the silent majority of Filipinos, we share in the aforementioned fatigue, in the concern about further instability, and in the need for prayerful discernment.

As a corruption-intolerant Church-based movement giving birth to a transformed Filipino nation, we view anti-corruption work as a long-term effort involving all sectors of society. It starts with the response to the call to personal conversion.

Graft and corruption affects all of us. Businessmen suffer because there is no level playing field. Foreign investments dwindle. Higher taxes do not necessarily result in better government services and infrastructure works. Criminals continue their work undisturbed. Vices flourish, sapping our spiritual energies. Soldiers are ill-equipped. Poor education stunts the intellect of countless children, imperiling our future. The list goes on and on. Meanwhile the poor keep getting poorer. Graft and corruption is not a victimless crime.

This long-term effort demands transparency from all of us, especially those entrusted with public office. Only credible leadership can stem the tide of corruption.

It is in this spirit that we call upon President Gloria M. Arroyo to break her silence on the alleged tape conversation between her and Comelec Commissioner Garcillano. A continuing silence will only lead to a rapid loss of credibility which the country can ill afford at the moment. We call for the creation of an independent, highly credible commission to set the record straight. While the legal defense against self-incrimination is always an option, it is not necessarily the moral option nor will it restore credibility.

Finally we call upon all Filipinos to exercise sobriety and pray for the country.

As Jesus the Master reminds us in last Sunday's gospel: "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops."