Monday, April 02, 2007 Echaves: Honest choices By Lelani P. Echaves Thinking Aloud
“WHERE do you stand on the lamppost issue?” I’ve been asked this many a time, and so I tell a favorite story.
In summer ‘68, when my father was appointed to the Court of First Instance (now Regional Trial Court) in Southern Philippines, one of Cebu City’s well-known lawyers phoned him. While a professor in the college of law of which my father was the dean, this caller was also the lawyer of one of Marcos’ rabid politician loyalists in that Mindanao province.
“Unsang kolor kuno ang imong gusto?” asked the lawyer. “Kolor sa unsa?” my father asked. “Kolor sa Mercedes Benz, ba. Iyang welcome gift nimo. So, unsa... white, black o dark gray?” the lawyer persisted.
My father said, “Ay, we have a car here. And I won’t need a car there. I’m staying with my cousin who has three cars, and they have a driver.”
“Pasagdi lang, i-una lang nato ang Mercedes Benz didto. Aron moingon ang mga tawo nga naa na kay Mercedes daan.” Not wanting to slight the lawyer, my father relayed the answer he and my mother had agreed on—“Salamat lang, kay sigurado man ta nga dili gyud magdungan ug kaguba ang mga awto sa akong ig-agaw.” (No thanks. Those cars will never bog down together.) End of conversation.
That politician and his lawyer have long died. My father has long retired from government service, is 89 years old, continues to serve the Redemptorist Church as a lay minister, and does us his children and grandchildren proud. No taint of scandal has touched his name, and neither has there been any suspicion about ill-gotten wealth.
So, where do I stand on the lamppost issue? Why... is there even another right choice? Is siding with graft and corruption even a choice? How can anyone whose basic conscience differentiates right from wrong ever even try to justify why he should side with graft and corruption?
Do graft and corruption become acceptable because allegedly, “dili gyud na malikayan ang graft and corruption in government” (graft and corruption are usual in government)? Or because “gagmay man gud ug sweldo sa gobyerno” (government employees are low-salaried)?
Obviously, being consistently a front-runner in the Hall of Shame hasn’t curbed the corrupt ways in the DPWH. It continues to share top billing with the GSIS, AFP, BIR, PNP, DepEd, Bureau of Customs, SSS, Napocor, and LTO (www.abs-cbnnews.com/).
Contrarily, we once had a neighbor who I’m told was the mistress of a customs releasing clerk. She lived in a plush house with a swimming pool, and her garage was filled with a Pajero, CRV and a RAV 4. When lifestyle checks were made, she disappeared from our village, selling house, cars and hundreds of Levi’s pants at P100 each.
My former assistant saved P30,000 as down payment for a house and lot entirely her own. For the next 25 years she pays a monthly amortization of P5,000. She is no mistress of anyone nor has she milked or raided government coffers. And over and over again, I proudly tell her story to many others with simple means and honest dreams.
