EDITORIAL – Quest for truth

There is nothing wrong with marching for truth, especially when there is an obvious effort to suppress it. The groups that have formed unlikely alliances to work for the ouster of President Arroyo echo the desire of many Filipinos for the truth amid the worst political crisis to hit the administration.

All the players in this political drama, however, must act with sobriety and prudence, especially because this crisis has left the nation deeply divided. This is not February 1986 or January 2001; alliances have shifted, and many people have become disillusioned with the results of those two popular revolts as well as some of the key players.

This republic can use another revolution of sorts, but it may not be to the liking of those now trying to bamboozle another president to step down. It will have to be the long, hard way, with little drama, infuriatingly slow because it will have to work within the rotten system.

The administration cannot sweep wrongdoing under the rug, but the opposition also needs restraint in its effort to prevent the suppression of truth. The nation is facing enough colossal challenges. We haven’t felt the full impact of the oil crunch, now worsened by Hurricane Katrina. We are crippled by foreign debt and there aren’t enough funds for the effective delivery of the most basic services such as education and health care. National competitiveness is slipping in inverse proportion to the rapid progress of our neighbors. The level of national despair is so high that people are scrambling to leave the country for good.

Meanwhile, security officials cannot focus on a real, immediate terrorist threat because government forces are busy dousing destabilization efforts. Communists are riding on the political instability to advance their moribund God-less cause, and some personalities are allowing themselves, wittingly or unwittingly, to be used.

Sure, we all want the truth to be known; any administration will pay a steep political price for suppressing it. The quest for truth, however, must be tempered with responsibility. The nation has enough problems without being engulfed in a political conflagration.