The Erosion of Moral Values

Excerpts from the CBCP Statement 29 January 2006

RENEWING OUR PUBLIC LIFE THROUGH MORAL VALUES
A Pastoral Statement

The Root of the Crisis: Erosion of Moral Values
As bishops, we believe that at the bottom of our political chaos is a crisis of moral values, a crisis of truth and justice, of unity and solidarity for the sake of the common good and genuine peace. Truth has become a victim of political partisanship as well as of transactional politics.

As Bishops, we realize that the root cause of our debilitating situation is the erosion of moral values. Its external manifestations are deceit and dishonesty, corruption, manipulation and a deadening preoccupation with narrow political interests, perceived in practically all branches and at all levels of government.

But we also recognize that our situation is not one of utter darkness. We are encouraged and inspired to see so many good and decent Filipinos, of different faith traditions, working selflessly and sincerely to build up our nation. We see public servants struggling for integrity and the authentic reform of the corrupted institutions they are part of. We acknowledge groups of dedicated laity, religious and clergy, NGOs and various associations, including police and military personnel, giving of themselves to improve the governance, education, health, housing, livelihood and environmental conditions of our people. These people, united by a vision of heroic citizenship, are reasons for hope, even in the midst of the political crisis we find ourselves in.

Let us all therefore address the urgent issues facing our country from this moral standpoint:

>We recommend that the search for truth be relentlessly pursued through structures and processes mandated by law and our Constitution…

>Confidence and trust in our political processes have to be restored. As a first step we strongly urge our political leaders to undertake electoral reforms…

>Elections in 2007 should not be cancelled. The Church recognizes that in a democracy power emanates from the people…

>The reasons for constitutional change must be based on the common good rather than on self-serving interests or the interests of political dynasties…

>We reiterate our stand in our July 2005 statement that we do not condone any move resorting to violence or counter-constitutional means in resolving our present crisis. These measures would only bring about new forms of injustice, more hardships, and greater harm in the future.