EDITORIAL - Let not bravado replace common sense

Organizers of the Asean Summit have been quoted as saying it is now all systems go for the gathering of regional leaders and their dialogue partners in next week, saying neither threat of terrorism nor of a typhoon would once again result in another postponement.

How we wish such statements can be clothed in unassailable certainty. Unfortunately, only God can do that. Other than God, not even the man on the moon can assure a hitch-free summit with absolute certainty.

Not that we wish for dire scenarios to once again spoil our party. Cebuanos are in fact more hopeful than the organizers. After all, this is our show. And we have already spent too much time, money and effort for us to wish anything other that success for the affair.

But we do not wish to whip up false hopes either. While it is one thing to hope and pray nothing will again cause the postponement of the summit, we would be the last one to encourage the thought that " neither threat of terrorism or a typhoon " would cancel it this time.

Threats of terrorism or a typhoon, if they again emerge to threaten the holding of the summit, should not be ignored simply because we do not want another postponement. If such threats emerge again, it would be wise for everyone to heed it and tempt the fates by forcing the issue.

To be sure, if the summit is postponed again, that would be the end of it. In fact, the gathering would best be described as scrapped, at least as far as Cebu or even the Philippines is concerned. There is just no second postponement for such things.

It will be a bitter pill to swallow. All of us would be licking our wounds for a long while. A pall of gloom will descend that will take a long time to go away. For lack of anything better to do, there will be a lot of unfair finger-pointing. We will be needlessly shamed.

But what responsible official or citizen would dare trifle with credible threats? Who would be willing to risk lives on the sheer strength of adamance? To proceed on sheer bravado is the surest recipe for disaster and regret.