EDITORIAL — Denial as an art form

Denials in this graft-ridden country come as a matter of course. But some have really elevated the matter of issuing denials into some form of an art. And some of the creations that have emerged from this new art form will forever be remembered as real gems.

Take for instance what an official of a contracting firm now embroiled in the stinking Asean lamppost controversy had to say. When confronted with the suggestion that the lamps were scandalously overpriced, he quipped nonchalantly: " They only appear to be overpriced. " Wow.

Now comes the controversial Iggy Arroyo, congressman brother of the controversial First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Slapped with a suit from his wife who claimed her life was in danger, Iggy said without batting an eyelash: " I am the battered husband. " Double wow.

You see, people who are brought to justice for whatever reason know that their nights of blissful slumber are over. Their privacy is lost forever. And with the pace of justice so slow, one can go nuts in the slow grind toward resolution.

Thus, with necessity being the mother of invention, people who are in trouble with the law invent new ways to parry the endless probing assaults of an irrepressibly and urgently inquisitive public.

" They only appear to be overpriced. " Such a statement is a clear insult to the intelligence and sensibilities of the public. And yet, the way it has been crafted, it cannot be helped but be funny in a painful way. To hear it is to get flustered silly.

And then there is the " I am the battered husband. " This actually takes the art of denial to an even higher level. It has transcended the level of being just a mere insult to the intelligence and sensibilities of the public.

More than an insult, it is a dare, an in-your-face challenge. There was a lot said without it having been said. In effect what Iggy was saying was: " So? What are you going to do about it? " In this graft-ridden country, the answer is the sad reality.