THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

It makes sense for every political leader to possess a sense of history. But it makes better sense for him to stay on the right side of history. 

Hence, every leader must learn from history. When given the choice, he should stay on its correct side. 

Every political leader must be a moral leader too.

While it pays for every political leader to inform the world about his initiatives, propaganda could only do much. 

This is a lesson that we should learned from the best and the worst in history. This is the stark reality.

Abraham Lincoln did not possess organized propaganda machinery during his incumbency, but it did not stop the world to recognize his feat as a great leader. 

Adolf Hitler had built organized propaganda machinery, led by a great liar, Josef Goebbels, but it did not stop the world from condemning him as a mass murderer, or the worst criminal of all time as he led the systematic genocide of six million Jews.

Dictator Ferdinand Marcos had created well-oiled, functioning propaganda apparatus, but it did not stop the Filipino people from kicking him out of power in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. 

At the height of martial law, practically all media outfits sang hosannas to the dictator, as if he was God's gift to the country. But, the Filipino people, nonetheless, were not fully convinced of the political experiment in authoritarianism.

In contrast, martyred Ninoy Aquino did not have a single media outfit, or coteries of fawning media people around him, but it did not stop the country, or the world, from acknowledging him as an icon of democracy.

He has been widely recognized to have delivered the single blow that decisively led to the restoration of democracy in our country.

Again the lesson is simple: Know the march of history, internalize its dynamics, and decided to stay on its right side. It pays to be on the moral high ground. It pays to be morally correct. 

Above everything, it pays to follow one's conscience.

Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla apparently did not know their history, much less possess that innate sense to stay on its right side. 

They allegedly cornered the biggest chunks of the P10-billion pork barrel fund, but they have been denied their alleged participation in what could be considered the biggest scandal in the country's political history. 

It is inconceivable how they have mustered the temerity to lie through their teeth before the Filipino people.

They have well-funded propaganda machinery that keeps on proclaiming their purported innocence amid the stacks of paper trail, and testimonies of whistleblowers and other witnesses. 

They are quick to proclaim to the entire world that their colleagues are equally guilty of misusing their pork barrel funds, but they never bother to explain what they did to their pork barrel funds, where they took them, and how they used them. 

They are totally quiet when it comes to their conduct.

Jinggoy has been pugnaciously believing that he did nothing wrong, clinging to the belief that he is a good man, not a con artist masquerading as a lawmaker. 

Bong, on the other hand, clings to the belief that he has been set up by those signature forgers, which he refused to name. Hence, the three main suspects keep on projecting they are victims, not culprits, the pork barrel scandal.

The main suspects, through their hirelings in the broadcast media, had asked then Justice Secretary now Senator-elect Leila De Lima to make public the affidavit, which Janet Napoles, alleged pork barrel scam mastermind, gave her. 

For sure, the affidavit Napoles would be made ​​public because it is a public document, to which the public has the right to know. But why the inordinate haste, when they themselves have not publicly explain how they handled their own pork barrel funds?

The propaganda strategy is simple: The main suspects, especially Estrada and Bong, were trying their best to create a scandal within a scandal. 

They are not gifted with a rare sense of history, or that kind of discernment to stay on the moral high ground, but they are the noisiest. 

They are ruthless, amoral, and ill-repute lawmakers, who would do anything and everything to keep out of jail even at the expense of other people.

Creating a scandal within a scandal has been their strategy when the pork barrel scandal first graced the front pages of major newspapers. They have been thinking that by spreading the blame on other people, the public focus on them would be lost, while they, at the same time, perform some magical acts to extricate themselves from the sticky situation.

But will the Filipino people bite?

No, they will not. Never.

History has shown that the Filipino people have the collective capacity to discern the right side of history. 

We have kicked out Marcos, toppled Estrada, GMA and kept in jail. These are accomplishments that indicate our capacity and capability to appropriately handle those villains of history.

Even winners of previous elections are not exactly sure that the Filipino people will condone their acts of corruption and exploitation.

In short, it pays to stay on the right side of history. Just stick to it and history will take care of you.