Misdirected warning

Vice President Tito Guingona may be correct in his assessment of the present state of nation. The air of uncertainty is indeed so thick that we can almost see, feel and touch it. His warning that the fluidity of the situation may lead to worse scenarios has some ring of truth though it sounds ominous and alarming. It is a timely wake-up call even if it contributes to a deeper feeling of instability and insecurity. But his voice of caution sounds hollow and empty as he directed it only to one party rather than to all parties concerned particularly the major players creating the unstable situation.

When Jose Pidal barged into the national scene, the country was still reeling from the damaging effects of the Oakwood coup. So it is not hard to see the close connection between these two events. People say they are part and parcel of a grander power grab/destabilization scheme. It all started at Oakwood but did not end there when the coup fizzled out. From Oakwood, the arena of the plot shifted to Congress particularly the Senate where Lacson identified Mrs. Jose Pidal as the President herself. When Trillanes and company failed to accomplish their mission in Oakwood with their high powered firearms and explosives, Udong Mahusay was tapped to rock the GMA regime with his discombobulating affidavits identifying the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as Jose Pidal. Before calling on Mike Arroyo to "tell the truth" on the Jose Pidal controversy and on his brother Ignacio to be more forthright in answering the queries of the Senators, VP Guingona should have first asked Lacson to prove his charges which so far remains unsubstantiated. His warning that the credibility of the administration is at stake somehow creates the impression that he believes Lacson’s exposé more, thus placing the burden on the Arroyos to disprove it. Such a posture only creates a more destabilizing effect.

Lacson and his cohorts in the Senate have been making a lot of noise without putting up sufficient evidence amounting to proof of the truth that the Jose Pidal signature on the bank document is that of Mike Arroyo. After the noise they want Arroyo to show that said signature is not his. This is clearly contrary to the elementary rule that the accuser, not the accused, should substantiate his accusation with clear and convincing evidence.

It is quite disturbing that the Senate has now been converted into an arena where the battle is geared towards winning public opinion through pure political propaganda instead of concrete and solid evidence. Lacson and Osmena (not John) have become handwriting experts overnight. Lacson telling the people that the signature of Jose Pidal is that of Mike Arroyo; and Osmena claiming that Ignacio Arroyo is not Jose Pidal because his signature is not the signature of Jose Pidal. Even Lacson’s handwriting expert only assailed the PNP findings. He did not categorically say that the Jose Pidal signature is that of Mike Arroyo. Thus merely adding to the confusion.

This is not in defense of the Arroyo brothers. I cannot really tell which of them is Jose Pidal. I am just pointing out the pathetic state of affairs in our Senate where some Senators are now engaged in all out partisan politics obviously to advance their own selfish interest. It is clear for all to see that they either have pending criminal cases themselves or axes to grind because the vested business interest they represent (media, communications and public utilities) have not been given concessions. Making their moves at this stage when stability has not been fully restored yet, only betrays their real motives of further pursuing what Oakwood failed to achieve.

And it seems that media is playing along with them. The ongoing Senate investigation has been front page stuff in the newspapers and bannered in the prime time TV and radio newscasts. Pronouncements aired by these Senators have been presented as if they are gospel truth in an apparent attempt to shape public opinion. The Senate probe would perhaps abruptly end if media just stop giving it too much importance and prominence.

The warning on this worse case scenario should therefore be directed towards the Senate and the media. Whether they know it or not, they have become the primary tools of destabilization.

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