Truth, where art thou?

The Congressional inquiry on the alleged irregularities in the contract between Ceneco and Kepco-Salcon is actually to find the truth. A question was asked and it should be answered, “Who brokered the deal?”

The way Ceneco continues to refuse to get the approval of the Coop members and not revealing contents of the contract is actually hiding the truth. We ask Committee Chairman Rep. Mikey Arroyo and our Congressmen Monico Puentevella, Jeffrey Ferrer and our favorite Kako Lacson to get to the bottom of the problem. What is the truth?

Even Newks was blinded from the truth when, he said, there will be energy shortage by 2010 if we don’t buy from coal. Murcia Mayor Sonny Coscolluela revealed the truth when he read the letter of PNOC that it can supply the energy needs of Ceneco, copy of which letter was furnished Ceneco but which Ceneco ignored. Romana de los Reyes and many others can provide that truth. We cannot hide it.

I repeat William Cullen Bryant’s “Truth crushed to earth will rise again. The prize of eternity is hers. But error, wounded, writhes in pain. And dies among its worshippers.

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What is truth? Everybody has been searching for it throughout the ages. We’re still at it. It is a Muse to be courted, a Maiden to be loved.

Thousands of years ago, Plato asked, “What is truth?” He answered it himself, “We will know if only we sublimate our minds to their original purity.” Beautiful!

Other Platonians continued the search. Arcesilaus said, “Ordinary minds cannot comprehend the truth.” Are our minds ordinary? Shameful. But Coreades agreed. A sophist Georgias said, “Truth is what is believed to be right because truth is what is right and therefore, truth is what you truthfully believe.”

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When Jesus told Pilate that one who is of the truth hears His voice Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Pilate did not wait for an answer and went out to the Jews massing outside, telling them Jesus was not guilty.

What is important to the study of truth is one’s truthfulness to himself we call honesty. If graft and corruption rules the land, it is because we refuse to be truthful to ourselves. We lack honesty. We refuse to sublimate our minds to their original purity.

Blame our educational system.

I recall the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” It is a story of a boy who shouted “Wolf! Wolf!” There was no wolf and when people came to help, he laughed at them.

When the wolves actually came, and he shouted for help, no one came to help him. The wolves ate his sheep.

This was not only taught to us. We were made to act it. I was the boy who cried wolf and my classmates had a role too. Some were on their fours acting as sheep. Others were farmers.

Children understand the lessons better when they act it.

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I also recall the story by Jose Garcia Villa, “Mir-i-nisa,” a beautiful Moslem princess, daughter of the Sultan of Sulu. Very many courted her but the Sultan wanted to have a contest, the winner to marry her.

Two Moslem princes wanted to join the contest. The Sultan showed them a gem which, he said, he would throw into the sea. The one who could retrieve it would marry Mir-i-nisa. He rowed into the sea and threw the gem. The two swam to retrieve it.

Hours after, one swam back, dropped on the shore, exhausted, raising his hands to the Sultan in surrender. Minutes later, the other prince swam back, proudly holding the gem.

The Sultan spoke, “No. He will marry my Mir-i-nisa. He is honest. I did not throw the gem. It’s with me.” He showed them the gem.

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The other anecdote I read was about a middle-aged housewife, living along the bank of a river. Her scissors fell into the river and she cried. Without her scissors, she has  no source of livelihood. An Angel appeared and offered a help. She dipped her hand into the water and came up with a scissors with a silver handle. That’s not mine, the woman said.

Then she came up with a golden handle. Again, the woman said, it’s not hers. Then she came with an old scissors. “That’s mine,” she said. The Angel was happy. “Because you are honest, you can have them all.” The woman thanked the Angel.

One day, the woman’s husband was carried away by the flood. She cried and the Angel appeared again. Don’t worry, she told the woman. Then she came up with a handsome man looking like Clark Gable. Is this your husband? She asked.

“Yes,” readily answered the woman. The Angel was angry. You are telling a lie, she said. She is not your husband.

But Angel, she answered, “If I say he is not, you will give me another handsome one and I say no again at that time you will give me my husband. And you will give them all to us. I am now middle-aged. I cannot accommodate three husbands.”

The Angel said, “Yes, you are honest. “You cannot accommodate at your age three husbands.” She gave her the Clark Gable look-alike.

In school, we were taught honesty is the best policy. Yes, it also pays. You may get a husband as handsome as Clark Gable.

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For one whose profession is the use of words, I am at a loss on how to write a tribute to Gov. Joseph Marañon. I told Gov. Pidio Zayco that I want that he will remain in my memory, a healthy, bubbly, sincere, doer, achiever whose laughter was very infectious.

My condolence to the bereaved family.*

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