Several decades ago, former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez, after surviving an ambush that killed his driver, asked the then Quezon City police chief, “What is happening to our country, General?”
Today, many are still asking the same question.
The results of a recent survey revealed that the primary concern of Filipinos today is corruption. The extent and depth of corruption that I now see are so vast and deep that eradicating or even considerably minimizing it is a daunting task, to say the least.
From the recently concluded filing of Certificates of Candidacies for the May 2025 elections, Filipinos have also seen that, contrary to the constitutional provision on political dynasties, not only will they persist, but their numbers may even increase.
The harm caused by illegally operating POGOs, abuses in the drug war of the last administration, and the anomalies committed during the Covid crisis have likewise been brought to light.
The falsification of documents and the illegal acquisition of citizenship by suspected criminal elements have been uncovered. We have a very embarrassing situation of a non-Filipino being elected a municipal mayor and, despite the national attention on the case, managing to flee the country, presumably with the aid of government functionaries precisely tasked to prevent such occurrences.
The Philippines is the largest Christian nation in Asia, with over 80 percent being Roman Catholic. It has the third largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. Thus, Christian doctrines, especially Catholic dogma, should ensure an honest, just and God-fearing society.
As for the laws of the land, we have always had statutes intended to prevent corruption and other criminal acts.
The country is in its current state because the rules of God and man are not being followed.
They are not being followed because several of those tasked to enforce the law are the perpetrators. Others simply do not want to act for personal reasons. The bottom line is that so much wrongdoing goes unpunished and thus flourishes.
Worse, many seem to no longer know now what is right and what is wrong. At times, right becomes wrong, and wrong becomes right.
A friend was discussing with me the significance of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. Christ died on the cross to save us from sin, not to allow it to eventually triumph centuries after.
Just recently, we celebrated National Heroes Day. Our ancestors fought, bled, suffered and died to build a free, just and prosperous nation, not a society where corruption and wrongdoing are rampant, and where there is no true rule of law.
Filipinos who have been given by God the chance to be educated, to know what is right and wrong, and to have opportunities that the majority of our countrymen do not have should not allow this situation to continue. It is their duty to God and country to do what is right and to fight evil.
Those who wish for change must act. We cannot expect those who are doing wrong to eventually do good. As Marcus Aurelius said, “To expect bad men not to do wrong is madness.”
Start by praying to the Lord for guidance and strength. Preach the Word of God and the laws of men. Be a role model by doing what is right within your own sphere of influence. Speak out for what is right and oppose what is wrong.
Because this is a democracy, support good candidates or run for public office. It will not be easy or quick, but if done continuously, it will build a base of good people who will work together to carry out the actions needed for change. And with God on our side, what is right and good will definitely triumph.