Is Word of Honor Still Relevant?

“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’, ‘No.’”​

In less than a year, the Philippines will vote again. It is another opportunity to shape the future of this nation by selecting the leaders whom we assessed to be apt to the challenge to make genuine reforms that will contribute in making “Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag na Buhay” a reality. For sure, we will hear lots of promises again from the aspirants or candidates during the campaign period. The big question is not just what they promise but also their commitment to fulfill it. Or will it be another confirmation of this famous line – “promises are meant to be broken”? How many of them would truly put their name and honor on the line for every word they utter in different platforms?
 
Time and again leaders would finish their terms with unfulfilled or empty promises. And somehow it becomes an acceptable practice as we see them get re-elected or appointed. It looks like we are not learning or probably the value of word of honor is slowly going down the drain. If that is the case, what else are we going to lose if the words of the leaders we choose cannot be trusted? We cannot afford to lose another year or two with the ongoing pandemic. The ongoing investigation on allegedly anomalous deals and other pandemic-related issues make us wonder what happened to the inspiring words full of conviction that were uttered to assure the Philippines of an honest and efficient delivery of services.  
 
This week’s value focus invites us to reflect where we are individually and collectively as a nation in terms of how we value word of honor. If keeping our words is important to each of us, this will be translated in the decisions and actions we take including the choices we make in the election. We can do our part as citizens of this nation by making word of honor the norm now. We can start by reflecting on our day-to-day conduct vis-à-vis the oath of office as officials and employees of the government. The same is true in the private sector. How much of those words we utter are we practicing to this day? This is important to emphasize because we cannot impute blame to our leaders if we ourselves are not true to our words.
 
It is easier said than done is an unavoidable fact. We sing our national anthem with the words “…ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo”. But when we are faced with challenges, we tend to forget our vow to our beloved nation. It is not to accommodate excuses though that gives rise to lackadaisical attitude. Notwithstanding the factors that restrict us, we should continue to find ways to abide with our pledges.
 
Indeed, the value of word of honor has been and will always be relevant. We need leaders whose ‘yes’ is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ a ‘no’ for it is not just the name of the leader that is on the line but the nation and the future generations. (AOS, CRFV)