EDITORIAL - Like toothpaste, once it is out of the tube, it is out

One can almost cry visualizing Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal almost dropping to his knees to plead the case for a united Cebu against the adamance of three members of Congress to convert their respective districts into new provinces.

It is a pathetic sight to the mind's eye because, as everyone knows, not even the pope himself can sway these three members of Congress from pursuing the very goal that has mesmerized all politicians for ages -- the consolidation of power.

Cardinal Vidal can pontificate about the moral dimensions of the issue. But does anyone really believe any of the three members of Congress really care? Why, if they even cared just half of our expectations, we would not be confronting this issue now.

But the issue is there and we all have to confront it. The Cebu governor and other right-thinking Cebuanos are trying to confront it politically and legally. Cardinal Vidal is doing it from the perspective of moral authority.

It now remains for the Cebuanos themselves to take sides on the issue. Not a single soul ought to remain neutral or uncommitted because this is an issue that affects all Cebuanos, not just people belonging to any of the three affected districts.

All Cebuanos must be made to do their own research as well as search their own conscience because after all has been said and done, whether we eventually become four separate provinces or remain one united Cebu, everything will have to have the stamp of our individual approval.

To be sure, in the presentation of the pros and cons, there will be interesting litanies of why the proposals are good or bad. All that we ask of the Cebuanos is to discern the path of their own choosing with the wisdom of a good father.

A good father is one who provides well for his family and shields them from harm. As he leads the way, he assesses both enticements and risks, reviewing with his heart what is immediate before the eye, not committing until it is safe and necessary to do so.

The approach of parental prudence is required because, whether it has become apparent or not, the proposals entail a once-in-a-lifetime decision. There is no turning back here. If Cebu splits, there is no reuniting again. Like toothpaste, once out of the tube, it is out.