Cooler heads must prevail

Everyone is hoping this 10-day hiatus in Congress will buy the country enough time to think about the consequences and possible solutions to this constitutional crisis if the clash between Congress and the Supreme Court continues. Many don?t even want to talk about the legality of the impeachment case filed against Chief Justice Hilario Davide. Both sides may have their own points. But the timing totally stinks. I was told there are plans to convene another parliament of the streets, but this time the hotheads of People Power II will go against the hotheads of People Power III. This impasse will surely make matters worse for the country, especially the lower class of society. We cannot stretch and bend the Constitution every time we feel like it. It does not make sense to correct a wrongdoing by doing another wrong. The clash between Congress and the Supreme Court only confirms what most Filipinos have feared all this time: that the division in government and in the country runs deep, and that it is more divided now than ever. Instead of focusing on having clean and orderly elections next year, the country is now caught in a constitutional crisis. The more this impasse continues, the more we are sidetracked from our goal to get back on track. And for what, amor propio? Sadly, too much amor propio was brought into this country by our Spanish forefathers. This is making our sense of uncertainty more serious, and worse, more certain. The only real option at the moment is for Congress and the Supreme Court to find an honorable and practical compromise.

It seems, however, that this will not happen. It is reported that Congress is ready to bring the case up to the Senate, giving it no choice but to hear the impeachment case. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, is not about to buckle down. All indications point that both sides will have a face-off all because of hubris. Guess who will be caught in the crossfire? The public. Again and again and again, the story never changes. Apparently, every time something good happens to the country, somewhere along the way, we drop the ball. For the past few months, we have had some positive news. The death of Indonesian terrorist bomber Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi was big news all over the world. The eight-hour whistlestop of George W. Bush gave the country a fresh image abroad, especially the United States. For one, it pushed the country into the limelight because of international media coverage. The positive publicity gave the stock market a big boost. The visit also urged our legislators to fast track vital yet pending bills that were designed to help attract foreign investors. As a result, it encouraged foreign businessmen, particularly Americans, to once more look at the Philippines as a tourist and investment destination. In fact, I was told that tourist arrivals in the country overshot its target considerably even before the year ended, thanks also to "Tricky" Dick Gordon’s WOW persistence. The country’s recent membership in the Security Council of the United Nations is a clear sign that the international community has a positive view of the Philippines.

Now we’re back to square one. It seems that in this country, we have had more man-made disasters than natural disasters. This political standoff will surely set the economy back. The nation’s peace of mind is once more disturbed by another crisis, and once again we are sending signals of instability to the international community. When strong institutions like Congress and the Supreme Court clash, it has a way of hurting the economy, driving the people into more hardships. For one, when the controversy hit the papers, the peso suffered another serious blow, closing at a high P55.59 to the dollar. What should be the priority, like the passage of next year’s budget and the programs for poverty alleviation, were also put on hold. It’s like the left brain fighting against the right brain, and the result is worst than being catatonic. We all know what happens when the atom is split in two? Hiroshima!

I remember what the late Don Alfredo "Peding" Montelibano once said, "Principles are for people who can afford it." This country definitely cannot afford it. Principles will not feed 25 million poor Filipinos, with four babies being born every minute. Only pragmatic solutions will be able to ease the swelling poverty in this country. That’s why, more than ever, the Constitution should be amended. There is no real and practical option left for the constitutional crisis we are facing. Bottomline: we have to let cooler heads prevail. If we fail to solve this problem, one day, we may just wake up with no Constitution to speak of because anarchy will prevail and the mob shall rule.

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It seems frustrated businessmen, who are seriously considering going for a populist candidate, are gaining ground. Some of them believe that only a popular candidate can get a clear majority since 85-percent of voters belong to the C-D-E class. It’s inevitable, they said, if a popular candidate decides to run, he most likely will be the winner. Celebrity candidates (most of whom have not yet openly declared their intentions) know this and they are now gathering their own teams to support their economic and political platform. Titoy Pardo, former Secretary of Finance, is already recruiting businessmen to join the economic team of Fernando Poe Jr. while other businessmen are planning to join the camp of Noli de Castro. It seems many businessmen have given up on the hope that experienced candidates will win in 2004. As they say, "If you can’t beat them, join them."

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