Cronyism and corruption - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

The jueteng crisis that the nation is facing was brought about by two things – cronyism and corruption. Birds of the same feather flock together. Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are. Luis "Chavit" Singson was not only a drinking buddy of President Estrada. They are compadres both ways, meaning the President is the godfather of Singson’s son and Singson is also the godfather of one of President Estrada’s sons. The situation between them now is what is known in Tagalog as sulian ng kandila. When compadres have a falling out, they traditionally return the candles that were used during the baptismal ceremony.

There is no doubt that the biggest casualty in the current jueteng controversy is the Philippine peso. This means that each and every Filipino is paying a price for Singson’s revelation and the only solution to this problem is to establish the facts. Singson has said, "I challenge the President and my other detractors that we all submit ourselves to a lie-detector test. I am sure I will win because I am not lying. I have documents and bank statements showing the paper trail. I made the payments. I am the witness. I am the evidence." Will the President and Charlie "Atong" Ang accept this challenge?

There is a move to impeach the President. The problem is that impeachment is a time-consuming process. Congress adjourns on Feb. 9 of next year. In May, we have an election, which means that we will have a new set of legislators. At the earliest, a second impeachment can only be filed by October of next year. That is a full year of waiting.

The best option to this problem is the President’s resignation. We agree with the observation of UP political science professor Alex Magno that "the real problem is not whether President Estrada will survive this crisis, but whether the economy will survive his presidency."

Under the circumstances, the most patriotic thing that President Estrada can do for his country is to heed the people’s call for him to resign. In his pastoral statement, Jaime L. Cardinal Sin expressed it very well. He said:

"In the light of all the scandals that have besmirched the image of the Presidency in the last two years, we stand by our conviction that he has lost the moral ascendancy to govern. Without meaning to preempt the results of the investigation about the jueteng issue and corruption case, we believe that in the spirit of delicadeza and for the good of the people, he must relinquish his office and turn it over to his constitutional successor.

"It would be a heroic act for the President to heed this call. We still trust in his sense of nationalism and patriotism. This appeal comes not from an emotional outrage but as a fruit of prayer and discernment."

There are times that try men’s souls. It is the future of our whole nation that is at stake. President Estrada should seriously consider his resignation as the best solution to the predicament that his drinking buddy and compadre has placed the country into.