Cleansing the Nation through Dance

Fr. Roberto P. Reyes
October 23, 2007

What conscience, inner space, spirit, personality could take P 500,000 in a brown paper bag given with unspecified intention and source? Answer: “This is normal, it has always been done…nothing wrong with it….” says former Manila Mayor, now Environment Secretary Lito Atienza. (cf article by TJ Borgonio in Philippine Daily Inquirer, October 17, 2007) If we carefully analyze the question and answer in the context of what recently happened in Malacañang and what has been happening for the past forty years or so since the late dictator Marcos, the conclusions are more than disturbing. What is normal? Bribery, official at that, corruption..? Because it is normal, it should be taken for granted and people should just take it as a matter of course. Because it is normal and a fact of daily life, then people should keep quiet since there is nothing to complain about. The corruption is bad enough, but creating an environment of both impunity and tolerance towards moral decadence and depravity is something else.

The former Mayor turned Environment Secretary declared that he and so many others have received and will continue receiving money from the President’s office as “standard operating procedure” or “S.O.P.” He justifies this as money coming from the President’s discretionary fund. After this repulsive revelation, some past presidents were quick to deny that it happened during their watch. Presidents Ramos and Aquino flatly denied that they did it. Well another thing that has become commonplace in the Philippine truth-scape or better lie-scape is the habit of denial. If your are accused of anything deny and deny until you or they die….

Well let us stop wasting our time and assume that yes…corruption has become normal, ordinary, official and a non-issue. Truly, evil, the devil, attachment, greed, idolatry, addiction, delusion, mendacity, cheating are all normal, ordinary, official and a non issue. Thank you Mr. Atienza. We now know how deep the problem is. It is like talking to someone with “halitosis” or bad breath and telling him that something stinks. He looks at us and says, “I don’t know what you are talking about …surely, it is not me…”

Atienza’s statement stinks, and it stinks to the highest heavens. The stench could not be contained. The whole world smells of it and it emanates not only from Malacañang but from every noisy and silent politico who has learned to take bribes and found a way of silencing, placating or even killing their conscience.

The stench brought Kubol Pag-Asa to the COMELEC and the CBCP. We performed an indigenous ritual of cleansing and driving away the bad spirits, “masasama at itim na diwata.” We evoked and invited the good spirits, “mabubuti, puting diwata” to dance the dance of cleansing in order to cast out the darkness, the stench (symbolized by the black blanket). Then we prepared our offering. First, the pot, symbol of the Filipino soul. Second, earth, symbol of our humble humanity. Third, P 500, 000, bribe money, symbol of the darkness, evil within. Fourth, a burning candle to burn the P 500,000 until it turns to ashes. Fifth, water poured on fire, symbol of purity and freedom from attachment. Sixth, a living plant, placed in the soil, fertilized with the ashes of burned money, and nourished by pure water. This plant, in the soil, with the ashes, water and earth in the pot, is the symbol of our hope, adamantly struggling against the spreading hopelessness.

We thank the COMELEC officials who received us and graciously accepted the gift of our hope, the people’s hope. Thank you commissioners Resurreccion Borra, Romeo Brawner, Rene Sarmiento and Nicodemo Ferrer.

But we find it difficult to understand the apparent coldness and indifference shown us by a representative of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines. Still and all, we came in solemn and humble procession from COMELEC with our message of gratitude and our gift of the pot with the soil, ashes, water and the young plant, symbolizing our hope. Many of those who were present, asked, “is such shabby reception also normal in the Church?”

The morning was complete and meaningful in spite of how it ended at the CBCP compound. We went home more deeply convinced that the dance has only begun. It must continue for as long as the darkness and stench cover the land.