Laquian apologizes - Roses And Thorns

On being asked to apologize for calling a fellow MP a liar, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, said, "Mr. Speaker, I said the honorable member was a liar it is true and I am sorry for it. The honorable member may place the punctuation where he pleases."

That is about as sensible the public apology of ex-Presidential Chief of Staff Aprodicio Laquian can be at this point in time. Laquian claims that he never saw President Estrada drunk. In a way, we give Laquian credit. First, he did not deny what he told the press about being the only sober person during Malacañang meetings that extended till the wee hours of the morning. Second, he owned his own mistake. It takes a man to do that.

We do not blame the President for dismissing Laquian outright. Laquian had exposed private conduct unbecoming a president but in the process, he openly displayed public conduct unbecoming a cabinet member. And whether President Estrada realizes it or not, it is a reflection on the type of people that the President has been appointing in his cabinet.

If it is true that Laquian never saw President Estrada drunk, then President Estrada should sue him for libel. But if he was telling the truth, then it is President Estrada that should be impeached for no president who is drunk daily with his staff till the wee hours of the morning is fit to run the country.

One thing is certain, the popularity of President Estrada is fast going down. His popularity cannot rise before it levels down to a particular low. People were just recovering from the scandal of the Manero pardon when Laquian delivered the very worst "exposé" on the Estrada administration. We sincerely hope that the Estrada administration can regain at least some of its original popularity. But this is a big order at this stage. The sad part is that he seems to have lost popularity with the very poor that he had sworn to uplift. One would think that jeepney drivers would be proud to, at last, have a president who tries to project an image associated with the jeep. The reverse is true. An association of jeepney drivers asked President Estrada to stop his "Jeep Ni Erap" program because they don't want his image to be associated with theirs.

Laquian's apology to the President is a personal matter between the two. The thing is that if he spoke the truth, that is a reflection on other Cabinet members who know the truth but want to retain their positions at all cost. Has Malacañang degenerated into an alcoholic's bar? The third millennium is supposed to mark the era of the Information Revolution. When will the public have the correct information on this vital issue?