“LET us teach good values to rebuild our nation” (BM, Jan 24).

        Naga City’s multi-awarded Mayor Jesse M. Robredo was reported to have addressed our country’s top business leaders recently. This could have been directed to all, particularly  our politicians and public officials. And that’s assuming “old dogs” can still be made to learn new tricks.

        Haven’t they already learned more than enough values? 

Like:
        - Money values or their love, if not greed, for “fast bucks” or ill-gotten wealth?

        - Power values or the propensity, if not obsession, to buy out anything to get themselves installed in office and, once in there, do just anything to perpetuate themselves in power?

        - Family values. Haven’t they shown too much love for their own families, legitimate or otherwise, to even want or see to it that wives, children and relatives join them in doing disservice to public service?

        - Honesty traits. Can’t they swear even to High Heavens that they are not corrupt, that their transactions, public or otherwise, are all “above-board” . Or, that they are not in anyway involved in any scandals from sexual to electoral debauchery?

        - Spiritual values. Aren’t they often seen going to or praying in church, dole out gifts to “the least of their brethrens”. Amen?

“DepEd nagsabi na nin totoo”.
        Is this not a good value? “Telling the truth” or making what sounds to be true “accomplishment reports” on on-going or unfinished government projects, with or without any hint or taint of corruption?

        By the way, when will DepEd or any government agencies concerned report on the true status of the proposed Division Office building (along Diversion road, beside the Triangulo police station of this city) which remains unfinished or abandoned for some time now, symbolizing another waste of badly needed public funds?

“Dato awaits BMC’s request for aid”.
        Why wait? Hasn’t it been a well-known fact that most local hospitals direly need funds and qualified staff for them to deliver reliable and efficient health services at least  to those who can’t afford to go to first-class private hospitals here and abroad for medical treatment?    

“Kulang na nin mga doctor tinabtaban pa nin fondo”.
        How cruel naman! Anyway, this should not be presumed to be some kind of  state-sponsored solution to population explosion (by expecting higher mortality rates in poor or neglected government hospitals and causing more exodus of medical professionals?).

“Bicol councilors want Tira sacked for ineptness, arrogance and jueteng”.
        The latter may not be “good values” but they sound to be true descriptions of most of our so-called public servants.

        “With a convicted former president for plunder who is now strutting like he is God’s gift to the Filipino people, and an incumbent one who sits on a pile of trash and scandals taking sway in the affairs of our people, there is no way that graft and corruption in the country will be curbed, if not eliminated, to a reasonable level.” – Editor, BM.

        How true – and very sad!

        I can’t help but weep?

MANUEL A. COLLAO
manuelc223@yahoo.com