Brothers and sisters, when the media asked Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte for her reaction to those who question the integrity of her senatorial bets in the upcoming elections in May, these are her exact words: “…hindi dapat nagiging issue ang honesty ngayon. [Honesty is not supposed to be an issue now.]” The Hugpong ng Pagbabago chairman explained there are no candidates who do not lie. Everyone in the world lies. In other words, President Duterte’s daughter has no problem if her candidates tell lies. How many people are like Mayor Sara who does not see the importance of being honest?
Saying that dishonesty is not an issue during the elections virtually affects the dignity of the voting Filipinos. Public service is a public trust, is it not? How will we believe those who wish to serve the country if they continue to hide the truth in everything—such as what school they graduated from, or if they graduated at all? It seems that some people see the rampant dishonesty in our society, especially in politics, as normal. The hiding of the truth—accompanied by being selfish and greedy—is the root of corruption in the government, which is why it is important to elect honest public servants.
For us Christians, telling the truth is important. The Ten Commandments of God said: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” In the Catechism of our Church, it says that lying is the most direct offense against the truth. Why? Because lying is an act against the truth to deceive our fellow people and push them to commit wrongdoings. In the case of our candidates, if they commit to dishonesty, people may vote for them without any appropriate agenda to improve our situation, especially for the poor. There’s a consequence in believing the lies of unworthy candidates. In the end, we all lose if the dishonest candidates win.
Based on the teachings of the Church, dishonesty destroys society. It weakens the trust of people toward each other because we are deceived by lies. We would not know the truth that is important in weighing what is happening around us and deciding what action to take in addressing issues. One lie can destroy our trust toward others, and that brings out evil in people. “A lie does real violence to another.” For example, we see the cruelty accompanying the government’s campaign against drugs. It is dishonest to say that the people who succumb to drugs are no longer human, but a widespread acceptance of this opinion is the reason behind the current killings in many communities.
Brothers and sisters, it is saddening that instead of the candidates facing the issues and problems of the people and finding solutions to these issues and problems, they would rather hide the truth. They avoid serious debates and discussions, and treat their campaigns as merely entertainment. It is important to study the names we choose on the ballot. It is up to us to end dishonesty in our government. Honesty is still the best policy.
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