EDITORIAL - Not even a slap on the wrist

Just moments after Manuel Villar Jr. restored much of the people’s trust in the House of Representatives, another congressman once again made people wonder if legislators deserved to have the term "honorable" appended to their title. Apparently annoyed by the eruption of cheers and singing from the gallery after Villar announced President Estrada’s impeachment last Monday, pro-administration Rep. Jose Mari Gonzalez vented his ire on House sergeant-at-arms Bayani Fabic. Gonzalez, who represents the President’s hometown of San Juan, slapped the sergeant-at-arms.

There was no way Gonzalez could have denied the incident: TV cameras were rolling as the slap nearly knocked Fabic off his feet. Fabic, a retired Army brigadier general, kept his cool and did not retaliate, probably because other pro-administration congressmen were screaming at House security officers to make the spectators in the gallery shut up and behave – an impossible task, given the number of the crowd and the passions stirred by Villar’s coup.

Caught in the act, a contrite Gonzalez later made a public apology and even gave Fabic a hug. Fabic did not push him back, but the sergeant-at-arms, backed by his colleagues in the Association of Generals and Flag Officers, is still contemplating the filing of a complaint against Gonzalez before the House ethics committee. There are unconfirmed reports, however, that new Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella is trying to persuade Fabic to let bygones be bygones.

This could be possible if it weren’t the first time that Gonzalez had shown an ugly temper. But in an earlier incident, he had challenged Senior Deputy Minority Leader Sergio Apostol to a boxing match. Now this may be how arguments are settled in some parts of San Juan, but it’s surely not the way to resolve issues in the halls of Congress. The public is waiting for House leaders to set an example, but the new Speaker appears reluctant to impose sanctions on a misbehaving partymate. Gonzalez is likely to get off with not even a slap on the wrist. Fuentebella can’t blame the public if all the goodwill toward the chamber generated by the previous House leadership vanishes during his watch.