ZTE Controversy: A Call to Repent
in this Season of Lent
By Fr. Sid T. Marinay

Our postmodern society is characterized by the almost unbridled power of the media, battle of perception, eradication of hierarchies, merging of binary opposites or the blurring of the divide between the artificial and real, truth and falsity, fact and fiction, light and darkness and good and evil.

It is the time when even the President of the Republic with all the armed forces are cowed by the media. Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword, or should I say cameras are more intimidating than guns.

The nuns and a bishop, who told Lozada to tell the truth, provided a human shield for Lozada. But later on, he recounted that he was grateful to the media for saving his life.

When psychology and other related human sciences were not as advanced as the ones we now have, there was a clear distinction between the hero and villain in the movies. Heroes then were the epitome of virtue and goodness, and villains of evil and vice. In these postmodern times, when fact and fiction merge, distinction is unclear. The award-winning movie, Oscar Schindler demonstrates this point. Mr. Schindler, the hero, had a shady past with women. This very same point, the complexity of human nature and one’s capacity for what is noble is in our time demonstrated in print and on screen by the life and ordeal of the star witness of the ZTE scandal, Jun Lozada, a self-confessed proud Thomasian and student of Rizal.

I believe Jun Lozada encountered Jesus through the teachings of St. Thomas during his student days in UST. Jesus, in the Gospels, advised his followers to allow the weeds and wheat to grow together. According to him, the danger of pulling the weeds is when the farmer mistakes the wheat for the weeds.

I propose that we believers in Jesus Christ would take the ZTE controversy as a story to be understood in the light of the advise of the Lord Jesus to allow the weeds and the wheat to grow together – for the binary opposites to merge temporarily. People involved in the ZTE deal carry in their hearts the wheat and the weeds. They have at their disposal the option and the capacity to do good and the potential to leave a legacy. They are free to decide to be weeds or wheat; they are free to go to the right side, that of the sheep, or the left side, that of goats.

We should remember that the Lord prohibits the farmers from pulling the weeds only at a certain period of time, when they are small and the distinction between the two is difficult to discern. During harvest time, they will be separated forever; the weeds shall be thrown into fire. In another parable, when the appointed time comes, the Lord will divide the sheep from the goats eternally.

The old paradigm of looking at the hero as the epitome of goodness (the sheep) and the villain of evil (goat) is evident in the intervention of Miriam Santiago. In her effort to discredit the testimony of Jun Lozada, she disclosed some of Lozada’s anomalous deals in the past. Lozada readily admitted that in his life, he had done some things he could not be proud of. Surprisingly, his admission of some past wrongdoings strengthens his credibility among the following PDI columnists: Randy David (Greed in a changing landscape, PDI, Feb. 9, 2008), Conrado de Quiros (Profile in courage, PDI, Feb. 11, 2008), Manuel L.Quezon III (Hold the Line, PDI Feb. 11, 2008), Neal H. Cruz (Greed, panic, lies; is justice next? PDI, Feb. 11, 2008), Ramon J. Farolan (Probinsyanong instsik - bayani ng bayan, PDI, Feb. 11, 2008), Solita Collas-Monsod, (Obvious, PDI, Feb. 9, 2008). And in unison, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines (CEAP), Manila Archdiocesan Parochial School Association (MAPSA), the Makati Business Club also hail Jun Lozada.

Lozada’s quick admission of fault is a stark contrast to former COMELEC Chair Benjamin Abalos’ almost immaculate projection of himself in the media, raising the libel case papers, a gesture he is wont to every time he congratulates a newly elected government official, he filed against Jun Lozada. The acceptance of Jun Lozada of his past sins also put the First Gentleman in the light of being unrepentant. Making some people remark: He did not heed God’s warning when he got sick and almost died.

On the day of reckoning, the Lord will divide the sheep from the goats, wheat from weeds – the binary opposites will be put in their proper places for good. On that day, power will be in the hands of the just judge not anymore with the media. On that day, Jesus will say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was naked and clothed me, I was homeless and you gave shelter. Come into my Father’s kingdom.” As followers of Jesus, the basis of our judgment will be how much we have done for the poor. How many poor children are deprived of food, water, shelter, education, and other basic needs due to corruption?

This is why Cardinal Rosales reminded his priests at this time to be more focused in the program of helping the poor in the Archdiocese of Manila known as Pondo ng Pinoy. According to Cardinal Rosales, “In focusing our energy in this present controversy, we will be sidetracked; the poor shall end up being losers. They will continue to be neglected.” For Cardinal Rosales the Church is sworn to help the poor. Not that we do not care about the truth. We just have to remember that in our fight for truth, we should never lose sight of the poor.

Jesus also said that on that day of reckoning, everything hidden shall be exposed to the light. Jun Lozada who simply described himself as a probinsyanong intsik did not want to be put in the spotlight. He just wanted to have a simple and peaceful life. But his efforts to “moderate the greed” of some officials, perhaps to make amend for his past wrongdoings, placed him in where he is right now – in the light of goodness, on the side of the sheep.

Being at the senate for survival, Jun Lozada’s answers to questions, his revelation, brought about unintended consequences. One of which puts some people on the left, the wrong side of history – that of goats. They are to mention a few: Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to whom Jun Lozada gave a pregnant smile, Mike Arroyo, Mike Defensor, Lito Atienza, Sergio Apostol, Ronnie Puno, Avelino Razon, Manuel Gaite and many more, most of whom are coming close to the day of reckoning being in the twilight zone of their borrowed lives.

Having been put in the bad light, the above-mentioned dignitaries still have hope. The fight is not over yet. They can still make amends in the future as Jun Lozada did. In this season of Lent, God, as revealed by Jesus Christ, gives everybody a fighting chance to repent for immoderate greed. This controversy is God’s call for all of us to repent as a nation.