Lying and Bearing False Witness: A Modern Political Daily Routine

In the fast-moving arena of Philippine political theater, Ninth Commandment compliance has effectively been outsourced, monetized, and streamlined into standard operating procedure.

THE MODERN SLANDER WORKFLOW

STEP 1: THE SCRIPTING

STEP 2: THE DISTRIBUTION ]
• Draft affidavit with "sweet promises."
• Deliver via live TV press briefings,
• Offer cash & college scholarships.
• Deepfake/Polvoron viral videos,
• Assign target (e.g., House Speaker, Bishops).
• Unverified suitcases of cash.

STEP 3: THE RETRACTION
• Recant under sworn affidavit.
• Claim "Ginamit lang ako." • Public moves on to the next drama.

Giving false testimony against your neighbor used to carry moral weight or at least require a modest amount of guilt. Today, it has achieved the administrative routine of brushing your teeth after breakfast or taking a morning shower.

The recantation of former Marine Orly Guteza—who admitted under sworn affidavit that his claims about suitcases of cash delivered to high-ranking officials were fabricated in exchange for "sweet promises" of money and educational scholarships—highlights a booming cottage industry: Contractual Whistleblowing.

THE PERJURY COMPENSATION PACKAGE
• Retainer: Down payment on "sweet promises."
• Bonus: College scholarships for the children.
• Execution: Read pre-written script on national TV.
• Risk: Zero moral fallout; high meme value.

When bearing false witness comes bundled with tuition coverage, the moral fiber doesn't just go to the dogs—it gets listed on the stock exchange.

The willingness to let an innocent rival languish in jail or face public humiliation is no longer seen as a character flaw; it’s simply treated as a necessary trade-off for personal gain.

Fabricated affidavits are merely one flavor on the menu. Philippine political history is rich with creative slanders designed to manipulate public perception:

THE CLASSIC SLANDER ANTHOLOGY
A.
-THE INCIDENT -The "Polvoron" Deepfake/AI Video
(Targeting top executive leadership)
-THE INTENDED EFFECT - Slander the character of political rivals.
B.
-THE INCIDENT - Suitcases of Cash to Bishops & Officials (Fabricated Senate witness testimonies)
-THE INTENDED EFFECT - Destroy the credibility of religious and civil foes.
C.
-THE INCIDENT - Fake Intelligence Matrixes
(Plucking names out of thin air)
- THE INTENDED EFFECT - Justify state-led legal harassment

Whether it is a fake video circulated on social media or a manufac-
tured story about bags of cash distributed to church leaders, the
goal is never truth—it is the immediate, viral destruction of the target's reputation that can never be up after a retraction.

Will This Ever Stop? The short answer is: Not as long as perjury remains a high-reward, low-consequence venture.

When high-ranking operatives use witnesses like disposable props, treat sworn affidavits like audition scripts, and weaponize slander to control the news cycle, the tragedy isn't just that politicians lie.

The tragedy is that society has grown so accustomed to the theater that total retraction is met with a shrug, a chuckle, and a turn to the next viral video.

There is also the tragedy that people has ignored the ninth commandment ... their morality has gone abyss-deep, and they are willing to be an evil man's whistlelblower in exchange of a hefty sum of money and the college scholarships of their c