Years ago I had the privilege of speaking before a conference of students. It was a very exciting event rubbing elbows with our country's future major players. At the vortex of our discussion was the seemingly irreversible advance of corruption in every level of our socio-political environment.
In the open forum that followed, I was asked for a solution. It was a question I feared most because I had no plausible answer for it. What I readied myself with was a hazy draconian methodology.
“We should erect two very big buildings,” I commenced my brief reply, “a mammoth structure to house every known book or published article on law, history and government. On the other, we put all dissertations on science, mathematics as well as the Holy Bible, Koran, and perhaps, such similar writings as Baghavad Gita. Then, we torch the first building making sure that every page of all write-ups in it be completely reduced to ashes and obliterated, in the process, all corrupt practices that might have been recorded. After doing that we assemble our people, with ages eight years up, except for very few scientists and academicians and commit hara-kiri.”
With that gruesome picture, someone could not help but express sadness to which I was armed with a quick repartee. “It is sad,” I sighed, “but what is even sadder is that I am not certain those left behind, the seven years old and under can, plus a few learned men, make a better society.”
I remember my exposition because of a more polished reaction e-mailed by a pastor, whose name I have not obtained a prior permission to print here. It contained a very revealing piece of information. The pastor saw the depths of graft and corruption in our midst but, on the basis of biblical passages, theorized that our complete salvation is in the caring hands of God.
There is no contest in that statement, for sure. How did my later father say it? “Hombre propone, Dios dispone”. With that quote I feel we should propose to address our immense burdens.
One way of cleansing the system is to put up a center for moral governance manned by unrelenting crusaders with quixotic mindsets. I envision people who are comfy in their life, learned and patriotic. These requirements must be rigidly observed because the tasks ahead are paved with exciting temptations and tremendous hazards.
The first criterion is synonymous with economic dependence. Former senator Ernest Herrera gave it a down-to-earth description – the law of the stomach. It being the first law according to the labor leader-turned-politician, the crusaders I have in mind must be sufficient enough to resist the 30 pieces of silver Judas sold himself for. Financially well-endowed themselves, no amount of bribe money (P200,000 according to the joke of Congressman Antonio Cuenco or P500,000 per Fr. Ed Panlilio) should blur their enlightened vision or warp their determination.
History tells us that many men are thrust to become the catalyst of growth after acquiring through knowledge of the way their social and political systems work. It is this kind of learning, which is the second requisite of for membership in the center, that sharpens the idealism in people. Because the learned, for example, the late senator Jose W. Diokno, are usually conscious of what is good and what is ineffective, they either improve on their structures or change them to better modalities if only to approximate their cherished dreams.
The crusader is selfless. He does not hunger for personal glory. Rather what moves him to undertake rigorous, most of the time, unflappable missions is the well-being of his fellow citizens. Certainly the crown and everything it symbolizes is not his ultimate objective. If at all, he temporarily allows it to rest on his head to use it to advance the interest of the country. This is what I mean by patriotic, as the third criterion.
This center may not actually be realized in our lifetime, but the chance that some principled men may give it substance in the future is enough to hope fore.