A circus of nitwits
By Antonio Montalvan II
Inquirer News Service

WHY does the political discourse so far exonerate the opposition leaders who made their own "Hello, Garci" calls? Juan Ponce Enrile has admitted calling Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano but has judged himself above impropriety. Loren Legarda is in her usual denial mode. Jinggoy Estrada is, oh well, true to form. Jamby Madrigal has been quiet lately; a guilty conscience, perhaps? And even the recent turncoat Rodolfo Biazon has merely turned in a hypocritical "no comment," a standard he has not used on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. What absolute hypocrisy. These politicians must all be brought before the bar of justice. A war against cheaters must be a war against all cheaters.
And that is the basic flaw of the CBCP's call for a Truth Commission. Whose truth will be ferreted out? So far it cites only the President's but is silent on the equally guilty administration and opposition leaders who were, after all, also palsy-walsy with Garci for their own possible "dagdag-bawas" ends.

Sure, they can say they didn't cheat but that is what the President is saying, too.

On the other hand, the fear of a Noli de Castro presidency is not so much because of his perceived underqualification. It is more because of its long-term prospects. It is easy to envisage a President De Castro unseated by calls for his resignation. And it will be one unseating after another, ad infinitum, debasing the institution of the presidency into a revolving array of musical chairs dependent on the political caprices of a rowdy few. Oh, my myopia! Cory Aquino obviously misses out on the portent.

Conversely, may God save this country and its citizenry, already reeling from political fatigue, from the long process of impeachment. Lawmakers generally don't care about the harmful effects of their grandstanding on our people who are the hapless victims of their verbal tussles which are justified euphemistically as "in aid of legislation."

What about Fortunato Abat's bangus junta? Does it even deserve any comment at all? As to the FVR (Fidel V. Ramos) solution-for Congress to convene itself into a Constituent Assembly-please, not an already tainted body to tamper with our lives. No way!

And Franklin Drilon in the event of a double vacancy following a Gloria-Noli resignation? Wow, for a chameleon calling for GMA to resign shortly after inviting her to set up a Malacañang in Iloilo, that certainly is a long way covered in eight days. The lust for sheer power is as clear as crystal.

The same thing can be said of the vacillating Panfilo Lacson, who is now also salivating for the vice presidency.

Finally, what about a status quo with Gloria? No, not without an all-out war against jueteng. Is she truly beholden to the Pinedas of her hometown Lubao? No, not with the frustrating absence of radical reforms in the executive department. No wonder allies are driven to burn their bridges with her. I am beginning to fear that Gloria does not see the weight of the CBCP statement. Self-preservation is no way to face the truth.

Worse is the intellectual dishonesty of many of these circus players. So Butch Abad was in Hong Kong after all, but he couldn't explain beyond saying that he was just there to ask the Vice President a few questions. What in heaven's name is that? And why was the group of Cesar Purisima, using fictitious names in the hotel registry, holed up in the Hyatt Regency beginning on the night of July 7? For them to plot their actions under suspicious circumstances of their own making only fuels more talks of Drilon's sinister "orchestration."

Susan Roces as an alternative? But her fire and brimstone left a bad taste in the mouth. Despite her thespian skills, she spoke like a palengkera (with all due respect to market vendors). Accusing the President of stealing the presidency twice, and then making that accusation with a face contorted in a griping widow's anger? Why, Susan, Marcos not only stole but nipped thousands of lives forever, and yet no protestation was ever heard from you and your late husband. As with the habitual balimbing Tito Guingona, the dynast Jejomar Binay (whose conjugal hold over Makati should have been ended long ago), Susan, in her speech, was full of intellectual dishonesty. There's a name for it-pseudo-nationalism. By the way, there's a text message proposing that Binay be investigated too for electoral cheating and for his ownership of a "Tagaytay mansion and 25 expensive cars."

The circus has begun and so what else is new? Compounding the comedy is Cory's double moral standard which she wants to apply only to Gloria. How about if she starts with Kris first? I echo Victor Agustin: did Gloria drive a Cabinet secretary to suicide? Remember Jimmy Ongpin? And the Mendiola Massacre. There's more in the comedy-nationalists arm-in-arm with Imee and JV Ejercito. No, nationalism demands consistency of struggle, not the cheap expediency of tactical alliances. Wheeling-dealing is not for true nationalists. Hello!

"The Philippines is a country that will burn the house down just to kill a rat," so goes a text message. Yes, and missing out on the other equally pestilent rats in the same house which, needless to say, need to be eliminated, too. A fight for the truth should be fought with the truth. Substituting a nitwit with another is no solution. Is it any wonder then why the critical mass is not out on the streets?

Don't worry about us Gloria, Mike, Mikey, Iggy, Noli, Frank, Joe de V, Cory, Eddie, Erap, Susan, Ping, Pong, Nene, Manny, Rez, Niño, Tito, JV, Jinggoy, Imee, Kit, Johnny, Jamby, Loren, Noynoy, Kris, Cesar, Dinky, Ging, Butch, Chiz, Jejomar, Brother Eddie, Garci, et al. We will be fine without you!

Comments to monta@cu-cdo.edu.ph