Spread word vs corruption on your shirt, Tagle urges faithful
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle: Spread the word via T-shirt. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Spread the word against corruption and cheating wherever you go, has urged the Catholic faithful, by wearing shirts enjoining others: “Huwag Kang magnakaw (Thou shalt not steal).”
“We should not let corruption and cheating become the norm. We should not allow corruption and cheating to become part of Filipino culture and mentality. Let us all say no to that and let’s say it aloud,” Tagle said in an interview over the Church-run Radyo Veritas program, “Huwag Kang Magnakaw.”
Tagle said the program was a “moral recovery movement aimed at reclaiming the stolen dignity of the Filipino people.”
“I urge everyone to join our campaign against corruption and cheating by wearing shirts carrying one of the commandments of God—Thou shalt not steal. Wherever you go, when you wear that shirt, people will read it and will be reminded of it. When you ride a jeepney, people will see it even when you’re asleep.
Reminder not to steal
“In the family, it will serve as a reminder to its members not to steal. It may be a child’s reminder to his or her parents, and vice versa, to do the right thing, never to steal,” said Tagle, also the Radyo Veritas board chair.
“This may just be a simple contribution, but I hope we take it seriously and spread it in the communities, in the parishes, schools, private and public offices in our society,” he added.
Several ranking government officials are currently embroiled in corruption scandals involving billions of pesos of the people’s money.
In a previous interview, Tagle said the massive corruption in government would need not only political fixes but also cultural solutions that must start at home.
“If corruption exists in the homes up to the highest levels of government, it must be cultural. So how can we provide a cultural response?” he said.
“Parents should be good models for their children at home… If, for instance, you see your parents owning three cell phones, maybe you can ask them why they have three when one is enough, and where they got the money to buy them and maintain all three,” he said.
“That is a question that will change the culture and will make the parents alert. It’s not only the elderly who shall look after the children but the children should also look after their parents,” he said.
