Vice President Jejomar C. Binay has just exposed a major flaw in his character. And well-meaning and good-intentioned citizens did not expect that he would send a bad message to the people, especially the children and youth. It happened in one of his campaign sorties in the country when he advised the electorate to accept “bribe money” from the politicians. He said the money belongs to the people anyway, as it comes from the funds of the government.
What gall! It’s unthinkable that the advice would come from a man holding the second highest post in the land, who has long been very active and aggressive in his quest for the presidency.
If that’s what Binay thinks, it’s no wonder that Filipinos tend to believe the accusations hurled at him pertaining to acts of graft and corruption he allegedly committed while in public office. The amount involved is so gargantuan that cases of plunder are dangling over his head and that of his family.
Another sad thing is that not even a whimper is heard from the top officials of the Department of Education even when the essence and goal of its Values Education are being trampled upon.
Likewise, we wonder what the teachers, principals, supervisors and those holding high positions in the Division of City Schools of Makati could say about the advice of their former mayor to the Filipino voters.
And last, but certainly not the least, why is there deafening silence on the part of party-list representatives from the education and youth sectors such as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Alliance of Volunteer Educators, A Teacher, Kabataan, Gabriela and other heretofore outspoken political groups. And how about the concerned committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives?
Are we already abandoning the crusade “Tuwid na Daan”? I shudder at the thought!
—EUSEBIO S. SAN DIEGO, founder, Kaguro and former president, Quezon City Public School Teachers Association, essandiego@ymail.com