But the party never has been and never will be the people. My loyalty to my party ends when my loyalty to my country begins.
— Manuel Quezon
It is often said that the Filipino family is tightly-knit. In ordinary circumstance, that trait is highly admirable. But it can also be a trait in Filipino culture that is not helping the current investigations on ghost flood control projects. I am not just referring to the obvious familial connections. For example, CLTG Builders is owned by the father of Senator Bong Go, Deciderio. This firm, which bears the initials of the Senator, partnered with the Discayas of Pasig in projects involving hundreds of millions of pesos. But Senator Bong Go himself is now the vice-chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. The Senator has said the right words that even members of his family need to be prosecuted, if so warranted. But he would be more credible if he inhibits himself from the investigation.
I go beyond biological connections when I use the word family. Each of us forms an imaginary circle and we decide which ones can enter. Usually, we include those who share the same birthplace, who studied in the same university, belong to the same civic or religious organizations, or even fraternities. We need that sense of belongingness. Politicians are exactly the same, but they add party affiliation in the criteria to determine who can enter the imaginary circle. For legislators, the circle can include their fellows.
Come election time, all other things being equal, we vote for our province mate, or school mate, or a fellow member of the Lions or the Jaycees. But the operative here should be “all other things being equal.” Sadly, we often lose our sense of right or wrong in judging people who belong to that circle. The notion of the common good is often sacrificed when the situation involves someone within the circle. It is my family, right or wrong. This is the Filipino version of, “Whatever is good for General Motors is good for the United States.”
This explains the embarrassed silence of Senator Bato de la Rosa when Sarah Discaya revealed that she started her dealings with the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2016. After all, this would put into bad light former President Rodrigo Duterte who is obviously part of the Senator’s circle. This also explains why both houses of Congress have not addressed the elephant in their chambers, the suspected involvement of senators and congressmen in the ghost projects. Their fellows would also be part of their circles. They can damn the Discayas to their hearts’ content but not one of their own.
But this phenomenon is not limited to legislators. Many would lose their moral compass, and deny what is proven to be factual, whenever the issue involves anyone within the imaginary circle. Thus, supporters of Duterte would think that ghost projects did not exist during the tenure of their idol. On the other hand, supporters of Marcos do not see the cunning of the Speaker of the House, who is the cousin of the President and who is perceived to be the chosen heir apparent.
There is a lack of moral consistency when supporters of Duterte used to treat BBM as a hero during the height of the Uniteam while calling him a drug addict now that unity is a thing of the past. It seems it all depends on whether one is still part of the circle. And talking about morals, what can we say about an ethics professor teaching in Davao who justified extra judicial killings? We treat morality now as a sport and a foul is no foul if it is committed by our favored player.
In the spirit of criticism, I believe that this trait is present whenever we the clergy defend our kind even if a cleric is clearly wrong. This is based on a misunderstanding of sacramental brotherhood.
The need to develop that sense of right or wrong, independent of the people we consider to be one of us. It is this same spirit that led to the quote above, “My loyalty to my party ends when my loyalty to my country begins.” In Church History, we can quote Saint Thomas More who followed his conscience more than the dictates of King Henry VIII and declared, “I am the King’s servant but God’s first.” Saint John Henry Newman would even place conscience above any authority, even that of the Pope. “I shall drink to the Pope if you please, but to conscience first and to the Pope afterwards.”
But with this family-first mentality, it is no wonder that a congressman reportedly said, “Why not blame the incessant rains instead of contractors and politicians?” Indeed, why not? After all, the rains do not have a family, no batch mates, and no party mates.