The month of November is observed by all public schools as Filipino Values Month with the theme, Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Pag-Asa: Pagkakaisa at Pananagutan para sa Makabuluhang Pagbabago (New Philippines, New Hope: Unity and Accountability Toward Meaningful Change).

More than three decades ago, on Oct. 7, 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 479 on the observance of Filipino Values Month. While there is no distinct executive order or proclamation from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that established the observance month itself, as it was already in effect, the current administration, through the Department of Education (DepEd), actively participates in and promotes the annual November observance.

Values define the national spirit. The 1987 Philippine Constitution explicitly mentions several core values in its Preamble and expands on related principles in Article II, the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, such as truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace. These are seen as the values upon which to build a just and humane society.

Article II on the Declaration of Principles and State Policies cites and affirms the following: Valuing human dignity and guaranteeing full respect for human rights; Recognizing the family as a basic social institution and protecting it, including the life of the mother and the unborn; and recognizing the vital role of the youth, promoting their well-being, and instilling patriotism and nationalism.

These constitutional values are often categorized in civic education into four clusters: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Maka-Bayan, and Maka-Kalikasan (Pro-God, Pro-Human, Pro-Country, and Pro-Nature).

Current events impel and invite the citizenry to reflect on the significance of values.

President Marcos confirmed what Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon had disclosed previously. According to the latter, more than 40 individuals involved in flood control anomalies in Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro would likely be detained in jail as early as this month. He also affirmed the work of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) that he formed to hold culprits accountable and to recover the wealth they had stolen. Previously, he installed a new Ombudsman who has consistently declared that his office is determined to do its part in meting out justice to those who had committed massive irregularities.

Indeed, the spotlight is on public officials – those elected to Congress and in local government units, those who serve in the Executive branch, as well as those who work in the Judiciary – who are being held accountable for their actions and decisions. A vigilant citizenry expects them to level up to a higher measure of accountability as they discharge their mandate that is anchored on public trust.

Meantime, our public school teachers are given the vital task of shaping the minds of young learners such that, beyond acquiring basic skills on reading, writing, and arithmetic, they would understand and grasp the vital importance of being God-fearing, humane, nationalistic, and respectful toward their natural environment.

Their Baby Boomer grandparents and their Millennial parents had the opportunity to imbibe such basic values without having been exposed to massive disinformation propagated by rogue elements in the social media. Their elders hope and pray that, in the end, their character and behavior will be shaped and determined by these values.

Amid the prevailing climate of cynicism spawned by a highly diminished level of trust in government and public officials, we as a nation need to reaffirm our faith, trust and commitment to the values of Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Maka-Bayan, and Maka-Kalikasan. Only then could we be animated anew by the wellsprings of faith and trust that define our character as a nation.