In an event that exploded into a social media firestorm in a matter of hours, the ruling Liberal Party yesterday found itself at an ethical crossroads.
It's still not clear who hired the girls to perform what can only be described as a raunchy, VIP room-style act for the crowd attending an official party event, but many people feel like they have a pretty good idea.
To be fair, as far as I can tell no laws were broken. The performance, while offensive to many, was not illegal, and no one (so far) is suggesting any improper use of government funds. This is not an issue of corruption or legal wrongdoing. It's a simple issue of ethics. Right and wrong.
"Ethics: a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right and wrong"
—Merriam-Webster dictionary
The show itself, performed at a government event and in front of an audience which included children, triggered a public outcry. But it was the response to that outcry that really infuriated people.
The guy who had been repeatedly named by the emcee as the one who brought the dancers quickly denied any involvement. And another party member made things worse by saying he didn't see anything wrong with the whole thing. Some officials claimed they weren't present, but photos quickly appeared showing otherwise. Nobody is taking responsibility.
To be honest, it's not being handled very well. In fact, the whole thing has turned into a public attack on the Liberal Party's Daang Matuwid (Straight Path) slogan, a philosophy of governance that the party is using as the foundation upon which to build support for its candidate in the upcoming presidential election. An ethics-based philosophy that isn't looking very good in the face of an ethical problem.
The "Straight Path" philosophy is a noble one. In a country that has been plagued for decades with government corruption, cronyism, sweetheart deals, and every other kind of "crooked path" behavior, the current administration came to power on a promise of ethics — doing right because it is right. The Straight Path.
And therein lies the simple solution to this problem. In fact, this distasteful situation presents the Liberal Party with a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the whole country what Daang Matuwid really means.
The party says that its members follow the Straight Path. If that claim is anything more than just a PR sound bite, then the responsible member should come forward and admit his (or her) error in judgment, without needing to be ordered to do so. Again, nobody is going to jail over this. It's the political equivalent of "who broke the vase?”
If that doesn't happen quickly and without urging, the party needs to figure out who did it (which should only take about an hour of investigation), and then kick that guy out. Not because he hired girls to do a lewd show at a public event, but because he lacked the ethics to admit it.
Daang Matuwid is all about ethics over loyalty. Honest governance over friendship. Anyone who can't abide by that has no place in an honest administration.
And any administration that tolerates an unethical member has no right to call itself a Straight Path government. Dealing with an unethical member, quickly and decisively, is the best thing this administration can do to show it's serious about Daang Matuwid.
This is a stupid problem to have. In a country where people are starving, where crime is rampant, and where government corruption is through the roof, a truly straight administration should resolve this issue in a single afternoon and get on with the important things. – Rappler.com
Michael Brown is a retired member of the US Air Force, and has lived over 16 years in the Philippines. He writes on English, traffic management, law enforcement, and government. Follow him on Twitter at @M_i_c_h_a_e_l