By Winston A. Marbella
With his quick tendency to absolve his friends of any wrongdoing, President Aquino is quickly losing the moral high ground in his alleged quest to reform the government.
He has quickly absolved the chairman of the government's casino regulatory agency, Pagcor, who has been accused of receiving potentially unethical perks from foreign gaming lords setting up casinos in this country.
Earlier, the President had turned a blind eye to his political affairs adviser caught on camera patronizing pirated DVDs.
In the casino case, the President said his chairman is“presumed innocent until proven guilty.”Contrast that to his cavalier treatment of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, whom he has lambasted in public many times as guilty until proven innocent by the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
No matter how the trial goes, the President has lost the moral high ground to pursue his crusade in government. In turn, we, the people, shall have learned many things about governance that will far outweigh the specific benefits of the trial.
First, we have seen the principal characters in the trial perform up close and personal, and we are now better able to assess them as politicians. The trial takes them out of their comfort zones and reveals to us insights into their character that are not not easy to see in their natural habitat.
Second, the trial gives us a more rounded view of constitutional and legal concepts we have taken for granted, and how these ideas give flesh and blood to our democracy. Concepts like presumption of innocence, burden of proof, the rule of law, and how these precepts aid the search for truth and justice.
All told, we also learn that making democracy work is a difficult task, and that eternal vigilance is indeed the price of liberty. We realize in the process that democracy is a precious gift that we must preserve and nurture for the generations yet to come.
We begin to appreciate, too, the sacrifices that our forefathers endured to give us the freedoms we enjoy today.
In the short history of our republic, each generation has faced choices that have led to the kind of democracy we have today. We have stood at the crossroads of history on many occasions and made difficult decisions.
We stand before such a crossroad again today. We can either doom our nation's future – or build a better world for our children. But it will take much more than our legendary skills for political combat -- or even our vaunted resiliency and ingenuity in the face of difficulties -- to secure our future.
Those whom we elect to public office must accept the heavy burden of making difficult decisions no matter how unpopular – or they will make popular decisions no matter how foolish. They must learn to distinguish between popularity and principle, between conscience and compromise, and be ready to forsake the fleeting acclamation of the thundering throng for the more lasting judgment of history.
Our leaders must learn to follow conscience over expedience, no matter how difficult, secure only in the belief that they will be redeemed ultimately by the wisdom of the people they have sworn to serve, or if not, at least by the enduring judgment of history. Surely they cannot choose the challenges they face, but they can certainly choose the decisions they make.
In turn, we, the people, will constantly need to affirm our belief in the inherent soundness of our institutions to correct the wrong decisions we make, and in the ultimate wisdom of our people to see the long view, to choose the right path, and to secure a regime of prosperity for our children.
To educate the young, to care for the sick, to provide economic opportunity to the jobless, to bring light to those who still live in darkness, to provide water for the thirsty, food for the hungry, dignity for the poor and neglected –- these are hopes worthy of our dreams.
To achieve them we need not only to mobilize the best and the brightest among us but also to inspire the bravest and noblest within us. We are only as noble as our dreams, and as brave as our convictions.
Each of us must find within our hearts the burning fervor for a country the making of which our forefathers willingly gave up their lives.
Our road map to the future cannot be found in the wind-tossed popularity charts of public opinion polls, but in the breadth of our vision and the sincerity of our intentions. Each of us must find in his own heart the wisdom to seek a better world for our children.
We need to put our contentious conflicts behind us and chart a new destiny for ourselves. We need to test daily not only the courage of our convictions but also the nobility of our purpose.
In the daily drudgery of making our democracy work, we must also participate in strengthening the foundations of our economic institutions – brick by brick, stone upon stone.
Occasionally, especially during elections, we are given the chance to create historic changes that either preserve our future or doom us. We make the choice.
A working democracy is as much a leap of faith as an act of sacrifice. Greatness is impossible without heroes – and heroes are created as much by our own historical heritage as by our collective will to rise above our wretched politics and build a nation we can proudly call our own.
We are what we are. But we are also our dreams. Surely we can make our dreams come true. If only we could find a few good men – just a few good men of courage, conscience, and conviction.
We may still find several. For now, we can settle for even just one. That would be a good start. We, the people, imploring God's help, will have to do the rest.
He has quickly absolved the chairman of the government's casino regulatory agency, Pagcor, who has been accused of receiving potentially unethical perks from foreign gaming lords setting up casinos in this country.
Earlier, the President had turned a blind eye to his political affairs adviser caught on camera patronizing pirated DVDs.
In the casino case, the President said his chairman is“presumed innocent until proven guilty.”Contrast that to his cavalier treatment of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, whom he has lambasted in public many times as guilty until proven innocent by the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
No matter how the trial goes, the President has lost the moral high ground to pursue his crusade in government. In turn, we, the people, shall have learned many things about governance that will far outweigh the specific benefits of the trial.
First, we have seen the principal characters in the trial perform up close and personal, and we are now better able to assess them as politicians. The trial takes them out of their comfort zones and reveals to us insights into their character that are not not easy to see in their natural habitat.
Character exposed
Second, the trial gives us a more rounded view of constitutional and legal concepts we have taken for granted, and how these ideas give flesh and blood to our democracy. Concepts like presumption of innocence, burden of proof, the rule of law, and how these precepts aid the search for truth and justice.
Work in progress
All told, we also learn that making democracy work is a difficult task, and that eternal vigilance is indeed the price of liberty. We realize in the process that democracy is a precious gift that we must preserve and nurture for the generations yet to come.
We begin to appreciate, too, the sacrifices that our forefathers endured to give us the freedoms we enjoy today.
In the short history of our republic, each generation has faced choices that have led to the kind of democracy we have today. We have stood at the crossroads of history on many occasions and made difficult decisions.
Crossroad
We stand before such a crossroad again today. We can either doom our nation's future – or build a better world for our children. But it will take much more than our legendary skills for political combat -- or even our vaunted resiliency and ingenuity in the face of difficulties -- to secure our future.
Those whom we elect to public office must accept the heavy burden of making difficult decisions no matter how unpopular – or they will make popular decisions no matter how foolish. They must learn to distinguish between popularity and principle, between conscience and compromise, and be ready to forsake the fleeting acclamation of the thundering throng for the more lasting judgment of history.
Wisdom
Our leaders must learn to follow conscience over expedience, no matter how difficult, secure only in the belief that they will be redeemed ultimately by the wisdom of the people they have sworn to serve, or if not, at least by the enduring judgment of history. Surely they cannot choose the challenges they face, but they can certainly choose the decisions they make.
In turn, we, the people, will constantly need to affirm our belief in the inherent soundness of our institutions to correct the wrong decisions we make, and in the ultimate wisdom of our people to see the long view, to choose the right path, and to secure a regime of prosperity for our children.
Hopes and dreams
To educate the young, to care for the sick, to provide economic opportunity to the jobless, to bring light to those who still live in darkness, to provide water for the thirsty, food for the hungry, dignity for the poor and neglected –- these are hopes worthy of our dreams.
To achieve them we need not only to mobilize the best and the brightest among us but also to inspire the bravest and noblest within us. We are only as noble as our dreams, and as brave as our convictions.
Each of us must find within our hearts the burning fervor for a country the making of which our forefathers willingly gave up their lives.
Our road map to the future cannot be found in the wind-tossed popularity charts of public opinion polls, but in the breadth of our vision and the sincerity of our intentions. Each of us must find in his own heart the wisdom to seek a better world for our children.
New destiny
We need to put our contentious conflicts behind us and chart a new destiny for ourselves. We need to test daily not only the courage of our convictions but also the nobility of our purpose.
In the daily drudgery of making our democracy work, we must also participate in strengthening the foundations of our economic institutions – brick by brick, stone upon stone.
Occasionally, especially during elections, we are given the chance to create historic changes that either preserve our future or doom us. We make the choice.
Heroes
A working democracy is as much a leap of faith as an act of sacrifice. Greatness is impossible without heroes – and heroes are created as much by our own historical heritage as by our collective will to rise above our wretched politics and build a nation we can proudly call our own.
We are what we are. But we are also our dreams. Surely we can make our dreams come true. If only we could find a few good men – just a few good men of courage, conscience, and conviction.
We may still find several. For now, we can settle for even just one. That would be a good start. We, the people, imploring God's help, will have to do the rest.
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