Romulo Bernas, 30, works as staff assistant of Prime Shipping, Inc.

Prior to this job, he was

purchasing Manager of the rattan business of his inlaws, but because of a !isagreement with
his father inlaw, he "uit the job. #is wife, howe$er, has retaine! her position in the rattan
business as liaison officer between Manila an! the factor% site.
Mr. Bernas recei$es a salar% of P&'0,000 a month which is enough to support his three chil!ren,
sen! them to a (atholic elementar% school, an! help !efra% the rehabilitation an! me!ical
e)pense of his father un!er treatment for alcoholism.
*here is no fi)e! job !escription for Mr. Bernas+s positionin the agenc%. #e reports !irectl% to the
manager an! !oes o!! jobs for him. #e also works closel% with Mr. ,ose -arciso who was a
member of the -P. before becoming a bo!%guar! of a politician closel% connecte! with the
Bureau of (ustoms. *he politician was responsible for Mr. -arciso+s getting the position.
*hrough the help of Mr. -arciso, Mr. Bernas is ableto a!just well to his job. *hrough his help
an! contacts he gets along well with other office emplo%ees an! the /karga!ors0 ta the pier.
*he% share man% common beliefs, foremost of them is the concern for the least pri$ilege! of
societ%.
In the span of the %ear, Mr. Bernas has a number of achie$ements to his cre!it. Besi!es
ac"uiring new clients for the agenc%, he is able to put up a small cooperati$e canteen for the
office emplo%ees an! /karga!ors.0 #e e$en intro!uces an inno$ati$e s%stem, peer e$aluation
an! e$aluation of superiors b% subor!inates, which though unwelcome at the beginning b% the
superiors, is now gaining acceptance.
-ow, Mr. Bernas is assigne! the task of putting some or!er an! s%stem in the loa!ing an!
unloa!ing of shipments at the pier. #e belie$es in onthespot obser$ation, an! so for some
!a%s an! nights, he mo$es aroun! the pier, watching an! anali1ing the mo$ements of $ans an!
people, the shifts of /karga!ors0 an! the processing of clearances.
2ne night, he witness the inter$ention of custom officials of a huge shipment of te)tiles uot of
the port area. *he following !a%, the newspaper hea!lines carr% the news of /3 caught in P&'' M
Smuggling0 with a picture of the s%n!icate men an! the allege! mastermin!. Mr. Bernas knows
that these are not the real people behin! the smuggling but onl% the /fall gu%s.0
4or some !a%s, he begins to notice his office mates acting strangel% towar!s him. *he% are not
as warm an! approachable as before. *hen, Mr. -arciso talks to him in pri$ate at a nearb% store
o$er a bottle of beer.
/Rom%,0 sa%s Mr. -arciso,0%ou are beginning to know too much.0
/5hat shoul! I !o60 asks Mr. Bernas.
/If I were %ou, I+! "uit an! go somewhere else,for %our sake an! %our famil%. Ma%be accept the
teaching an! research offer in Baguio that %ou mentione! to me !a%s ago. *hat ma% mean
transferring the whole famil% to Baguio, though,0replies Mr. -arciso, han!ling him an en$elope.
#e continues,0something to start %ou off, P&70,000.
8. If %ou were Mr. Bernas, what woul! %ou !o6 5oul! this be the right thing to !o6
'. 5hat ethical principle 9if an%: woul! justif% %our !ecision6
3. ;sing <ohlberg+s stages of moral !e$elopment, un!er what stage woul! %our !ecision be6
In m% '3 %ears of e)istence, past e)periences an! learnings from respectable institutions ha$e
lea! to me to belie$e that li$ing within the rules an! norms of societ% is the best approach to
sol$ing life+s moral issues. .n! in the societ% that I li$e in, the rules an! regulations are applie!
through law an! justice. In this regar!, the most clich= an! mature answer woul! be to refuse
the Php 870,000 an! leak to authorities what is reall% happening, start a new life an! li$e life
guilt free.
*his case howe$er, presents its rea!ers with such problems in$ol$ing man+s integrit% 9*he
effects on Bernas+ conscience if he shoul! spill out the annomalies happening behin! the
scenes of his compan% an! $ice $ersa:, an! man+s relationship with fellow man an! societ%
9*he reaction of people aroun! him if Bernas+ !i! leak information about these anomalies an!
$ice $ersa:. #a$ing presente! these problems, rea!ers woul! also take into account $arious
factors like the safet% of Bernas an! his famil%, his wife+s job, his chil!ern+s e!ucation, an! his
father+s me!ical con!ition. Situations such as these, I belie$e, woul! also take into effect an!
affect man+s !ecision on what actions to take regar!ing the abo$e mentione! problem, or simpl%
put the concept of being practical $is>$is being moral.
#a$ing sai! so, taking into account the abo$e mentione! points, m% answer woul! be take the
mone% an! shut up?