When truth comes second

Priceless lessons on the most basic traits of honesty and integrity were learned from our forefathers, grandparents, parents, more senior friends, teachers and colleagues. Surely, we are not lacking in our collective definition on the intrinsic value of striving to stay close to the truth. Defend it. And don’t create rationalizations that justify substituting convenience or exigency in its name.

Defining the truth became more of a philosophical discourse. I don’t intend to further meddle in this. My main concern is more mundane and practical. Instead, as a baseline, let’s just assume first that truth simply means factually correct. Verifiable when checked. And when warranted, can be validated by documents and actual events.

Let me focus on probably the most controversial political issue today: Shall we amend our 1987 Constitution or not? Many pundits and critics claim that we must not tinker with our fundamental laws. I respect their views and arguments. My personal take on this is more pragmatic. Changing the specific economic and even a number of political provisions is necessary if we aspire to improve the lives of our citizens. Perhaps, and I would be willing to concede, the timing can be vital, whether or not this should be done now or in the next administration. But changing the restrictive economic and ineffective political provisions is no longer a question of if, but a question of when.

Let’s look at the results of our countless national and local elections. Have we really chosen the best among the candidates? It’s common knowledge that popularity can easily overwhelm any solid track record and flawless credentials of a lesser-known candidate. Yes, democracy works this way. I agree. But we must put in place the mechanisms that will help guarantee accountability, platform-based campaign, stronger party system, among others.

For example, the almost automatic abandonment of political affiliation can be avoided if our Constitution would expressly prohibit instant turncoatism at least for a minimum period of say, three years. Couple this with the obligation of national political parties to clearly advocate and pursue specific programs to which candidates