Politicos still don’t get the bishops’ message

"You can’t have your cake and eat it too" was the Catholic bishops’ message to would-be impeachers of President Gloria Arroyo. They weren’t notifying private complainants, including one of them, and so laced their pastoral letter with "respect (for) the position of individuals or groups that wish to continue using the impeachment process to arrive at the truth." They were twitting politicos in Congress who, by law, handle impeachment raps. This was clear in their line: "Unless the process and its rules as well as the mindsets of all participating parties, pro and con, are guided by no other motive than genuine concern for the common good, impeachment will once again serve as an unproductive political exercise, dismaying every citizen, and deepening the citizen’s negative perception of politicians, left, right and center."

One would wish the prelates had stayed out of the political question. A tax-exempt Church cannot claim a role in State affairs, especially one as critical as impeachment. But no other person or institution can speak on it without being branded as partisan any which way. And buoyed perhaps by recent polls showing bishops at the top of most trusted figures, they just couldn’t be repressed from firing away.

Sadly the targeted politicos didn’t get the message. The Opposition that had hoped for bishops’ support of the impeachment is now feigning surprise that they didn’t. The Administration that has been crying Church-State separation is now rejoicing that the bishops have lain off. Senators and congressmen from both sides of the political fence expressed opinions only in relation to party lines. Not one paid heed to the twin observations of the bishops – that is, on "motive" and "negative perception" of politicians.

Those issues are joined. From the politicos’ press utterances, the public strives to discern their motive. People at first give them the benefit of the doubt. But this eventually melts in the light of clear political antics. The public consequently concludes that the motive is never for the greater good. This explains a growing derision of politicians.

The motive is often linked to personal interest.

During similar attempts last year to impeach Arroyo, Administration congressmen counted on mere strength of numbers, not of reason, to quash the complaint. On the day the House of Representatives voted in plenary, the Administration had 158 hooting down the rap, versus only 51 pushing it. The Opposition was very far from the required 79 votes, or one-third of the 236-member House, to send the case sailing to the Senate for trial. A good number of Arroyo foes, after calling her all possible names during the deliberations, suddenly went absent on the crucial moment. Observers surmised it was for money. The majority received a windfall of pork barrel releases to stay steadfast for Arroyo; the pliant members of the minority also got their share in exchange for not showing up.

This didn’t make heroes, though, of the 51 voters for impeachment. The aims of their leaders were suspect even then. The odds heavily were against raising the required number of signatures to impeach. Yet the Opposition persisted like martyrs in a losing battle. But they were martyrs in front of television cameras. Observers realized that the jig was to look like underdogs to gain public sympathy. Still, such sympathy can never win an impeachment fight. So the public read the true motive: name recall for the 2007 mid-term congressional election. Any reelection to the House or "promotion" to the Senate spells more pork and perks of power.

Those motives are again apparent in this year’s impeachment attempt on Arroyo. This early, Malacañang already is announcing the withholding of pork barrel releases to impeachment signatories. The explanation is plain: any congressman who would sign against Arroyo is clearly her enemy, so she should support that politico’s contender by depriving him of funds that could enhance his campaign.

Meanwhile, oblivious to negative perception, the Opposition is revealing piecemeal its senatorial lineup for 2007. And this includes many of the publicity-seekers who lead the impeachment drive.

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To some extent, the wariness of politicos’ motives showed in the bishops’ parallel stand towards constitutional reforms.

In the same pastoral letter, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines acknowledged the need to amend certain provisions of the Charter. But they said the way to do this should only be by elected constitutional convention.

In effect, the bishops expressed distrust for a constituent assembly by Congress – composed of the same negatively perceived politicos. They also ruled out people’s initiative, more so if led by local politicians.

The prescribed convention, however, cannot be free of politicos either. As sure as the sun rises, aspiring delegates will be the very kith and kin of sitting congressmen and senators. Or the latter may gun for convention seats if their term limits happen to come up in the constitutional election.

What does all this mean? Simple: that the presence of politicos is as certain as death and taxes.

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