EDITORIAL - Lock him up

Traffic was bad in Metro Manila yesterday as all public high schools finally opened. But the worst gridlock was on EDSA, where traffic slowed to a crawl after tires on scores of vehicles blew out. The cause: hundreds of spikes fashioned out of four-inch nails, wrapped in paper and strewn all over the nation’s busiest thoroughfare.

The blowouts fanned fresh rumors of destabilization, particularly after a bomb was found near the church in Forbes Park in Makati. But the culprit turned out to be less sinister, although no less dangerous. Hours after the spikes were found, disqualified presidential candidate Elly Velez Pamatong owned up to the mischief. In interviews, Pamatong said it was his way of striking a blow against corruption and the people who refused to give him a rally permit. He also railed against the failure of the Supreme Court to rule on his petition seeking to overturn his disqualification from the presidential race. Victims of his spikes, he said, should get compensation from the government.

Disqualification is nothing new to Pamatong. In every presidential election, he campaigns on a platform of US statehood for the Philippines; each time, he is classified as a nuisance candidate and disqualified. His previous reactions to disqualification, however, have been benign and occasionally even amusing.

There is nothing amusing about strewing spikes all over EDSA. It’s dangerous, it destroys property and it’s downright criminal. The culprit must be treated like a criminal, if only to deter others from committing the same offense. This is nothing like the antics of another disqualified nuisance candidate, Eddie Gil, who has reinvented himself as a comedian and recording artist. Perhaps the commercial success of Gil has increased Pamatong’s craving for public attention. But in trying to satisfy his craving, he has made a public nuisance of himself, damaged property and endangered lives.

There are appropriate places for criminals and the mentally unstable. Anyone who litters EDSA with four-inch spikes during the morning rush hour deserves to be locked up, preferably in a straightjacket. Pamatong will likely enjoy his notoriety, but it’s a small price to pay for public safety. There are limits to freedom of expression and public tolerance for insanity.