Monday, the 11th marks the 110th anniversary of a article of commentary that changed the world of journalism, it brought forth facts and revealed truths, the ‘J’Accuse’ article was printed on the 11th of February in 1898.

[]… ” Emile Zola’s intent was to force his own prosecution for libel so that the emerging facts of the Dreyfus case could be thoroughly aired. In this he succeeded. Zola’s worldwide fame and respected reputation brought international attention to what he considered Dreyfus’s unjust treatment.  ” []

[] Alfred Dreyfus was tried in 1894 on charges of espionage; he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on Devil’s Island. He was publicly cashiered: his rank marks and buttons were ripped off his uniform and his sabre was broken. In June 1899 the case was reopened, following the uncovering of exonerating evidence and of the fact that Dreyfus had been denied due process during the initial court-martial. France’s Court of Cassation quashed his conviction and ordered a new court-martial…. []

Zola in his 4,000 word article– spoke of the Dreyfus affair, a sad case where-in a loyal french officer who happened to be of a religious minority was used as scape goat by the then French minister of war to cover up lapses in security that led to a spy living and working inside the French war department. He had been a pawn, a scapegoat, -

Capt. Dryfus, he was made a scarfical lamb of the french egged on by anti-semitism the innocent man suffered on devils island. Imprisoned, in solitary confinement with guards who were under orders never to speak to him for several years he suffered what was called a living hell. His family discredited and losing nearly all they had.

but, eventually, as in all things truth sprang forth, France’s respected national poet – Zola wrote a article that inspired the world to say that Dreyfus’s innocence — and victim of  false accusers who hid the truth. They eventually were removed from power and while no one went to jail and the issue is highly debated to this day in some corners of France. The reforms led to the realization that in law and life no one must suffer for something they have not done.

The French minister of war, said at the time it was better that one innocent man — be punished and suffer to save the shame of France:

 [] ” General Auguste Mercier, was the responsible party in initiating this chain of events, and later in pressing for the cover-up of this miscarriage of justice. []

On this the 110th anniversary of letter of Zola, one has seen in the decades since the result of the popularity of the ‘open letter’ or expose, even in the English-speaking world, J’accuse! has become a common generic expression of outrage and accusation against a powerful persons.

Today at mass a pastoral letter or statement was read that while in comparison to Zola’s letter is tame and more soul searching it does call to mind the current ZTE issues being discussed.

Those from both sides of the arguement might do a Zola, to say whose truth is more believable on one hand those for the administration might say the palace has been a hostage to the hearings and constant exposes and witnesses in inquiries that have yet to come to any formal legal action.

On the other hand those who have their side say it the country ‘las islas,’ that has long been like Dreyfus had been over a decade and a hundred years before falsely held, accused, convicted, and later exonerated.

The CBCP put out the side of the issue in a statement issued by Bishop Lagdemeo, calling for the need to look for truth in the arguements exposes and statements and seek it out. That the search for truth was needed… So Zolific it almost rings as true as this posts title culled from the article that means truth is on the march and it shall be revealed. I post the letter of Bishop Lagdemeo and a CBCP statement both speak of the need for truth –

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The truth shall set our country free…

IT was courageous but damaging for two officials of government, former Speaker Jose de Venecia and Mr. Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, to expose questionable government deals in millions of dollars including scandalous and immoral kickbacks. It was courageous to come out in the open to “publicly confess” the high level of graft and corruption that they knew all along and “somehow” have been involved in. But it was also damaging to their political career as well as to significant others who are in high governance. Damaging also because they opened themselves to further scrutiny and inquiry. Truth hurts. Truth liberates. But the truth must be served. The truth will set our country free (cf. John 8/32)

Their public confession may be considered a providential event that may yet save our country from being hostage to scandalous and shady government deals that offend the common good and serve only personal, family and group interests. In our last CBCP Statement, the Bishops strongly lamented the absence of social conscience today. This is the root cause of our systemic graft and corruption.

We lament in this season of Lent not only that we are sinners but also that our country has too long been captive to the corruption of people in governance. “We have to confess that corruption is in truth our greatest shame as a people.” The call for a moral revolution has deep implication. The CRUSADE FOR TRUTH being initiated by the Religious like the AMRSP, Civil Groups and Clergy is encouraging, and must be supported by all truth-loving and freedom-loving citizens. Only the truth, not lies and deceits, will set our country free. This truth challenges us now to communal action.

We encourage the “Watch and Pray” activity that will be initiated by the Parish Pastoral Councils for Responsible Voting (PPC-RV). We can also call it PPC for Responsible Citizenship. The flame of “social consciousness and common good” must be kept alive. We suggest the prayer used by the Magnificat Movement, the MAGNIFICAT of Our Lady in Luke 1, 46-55 a prayer for social transformation.

As we said in our last CBCP Statement “let us pray together, reason together, decide together, act together” “towards a more vigorous work for good governance and a more active promotion of responsible citizenship in our society in the light of the Gospel and the Social Teachings of the Church.”

+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO
Archbishop of Jaro
CBCP President
February 10, 2008  []

Here’s what the CBCP said:

ON the occasion of its 96th Plenary Assembly, the Permanent Council of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines together with other Bishops had an honest to goodness dialogue with different representative groups from the “Civil Society” of the country. The encounter was courteous yet courageous, gentle but firm. In addition to what the Episcopal Conference already well knew regarding the so many adverse socio-political realities having plagued the country for years with very disturbing immoral dimensions, the said groups brought to its attention many more sad and saddening socio-ethical liabilities with their causal authorship coming from certain infamous national and local government public officials in the land.

The CBCP Statement mentioned the more salient and serious long since oppressing and depressing social factors felt by Filipinos all over the land according to its own sources—plus those distinctly brought to its attention by the Civil Society. And the list of the combined political and economic disasters with their attendant social and moral devastations is both sadly rather long and truly pitiful. The truth is only the blind, the deaf, and dumb would not know and feel such disgusting blatant degradation of human life and dignity, gross violation of human rights and legitimate aspirations. The victims have always been the same, viz., the common people, the helpless and the poor—with the consistent victors occupying the halls of power and influence while wallowing on the wealth of the nation and living lavishly on public funds principally coming from the direct and indirect taxes of the people from birth to death.

The three more signal over-all manifestations of all such markedly serious ethical aberrations and downright grave moral reversals in governance specially during the reign of the present administration, are the following: First, the common good and general welfare of the Filipinos are subordinated to the personal interests and dynastic concerns of those in tenure of exalted and enriching public offices. Second, millions of citizens are made to work abroad even under slavery conditions or in constant danger of death, primarily in order to keep the country somehow economically still afloat. Third, the ruling administration is bent at any and all costs in selling the national patrimony to exploitative and destructive foreign capitals under the nauseating guise of promoting development and of assuring the future of the country.

The key and incisive question poised by the CBCP is expressed and clear enough: How come we have such a long standing and corrupt and corrupting government? How come such dishonest, detestable and distrusted leading public officials now have and continue to hold high elective public offices? How come the leading character in all this composite national catastrophe plus its loyal cohorts and subservient minions afford to continue acting the grand master of the country—with many people cowering in fear, keeping silent, staying still? Why?

Something is fundamentally wrong when a supposedly democratic form of government is patently not of the people, neither from the people, nor for the people—but exactly the other way around. Something must be basically wrong with us—the people—who allow such basically anti-people government to continue and rule. Something must be wherefore done by us too—the people—eventually for the purpose of putting moral order—truth, justice and peace—in our dear Philippine society precisely by big lies, glaring injustice and profound disharmony.

That is precisely why the CBCP echoed the challenging call of the Gospel: “Reform yourselves.” It is not right that we just keep blaming the infamous trio of lying, cheating and stealing by those in government. It is neither enough that we merely complain about the poverty, misery and sickness in many parts of the country as primarily caused by huge, continuous and vulgar government graft and corruption done as a matter of fact. Much less is it about giving in to frustration and despair, to just give up and keep off, to curse or leave the country.

That is specifically why the CBCP made the disconcerting but awakening conclusion: “We as a people are still devoid of social conscience.” Among other things, this means that we do not really care for our suffering neighbors, our impoverished communities, our divided nation. Reason: We are too preoccupied with our own selves—our private good, our domestic design, our dynastic design.

That is concretely why we are reminded by the CBCP not only to reform ourselves, viz., to repent for the evil we have individually done and the good we personally left undone. In other words, we merely have the errant public officials we unworthily elected into office just as we have the government we deserve for practically doing nothing to convert and renew it, to correct and make it upright—or finally to dismiss and do away with it when every effort and all endeavor to cleanse it of its moral garbage and ethical rubbish ultimately prove vain and futile.

The CBCP plan of action could be thus spelled in three main stages: 1st. Reform our own selves. 2nd Form our social conscience. 3rd. Act for the common good.

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