EDITORIAL – Legislative inquiries: Bloody arenas of people's dignities

By this time, most Filipinos have come to accept the fact that congressional inquiries have become a big part of their lives. Whenever the slightest scandal breaks in this unhappy land of ours, either house of Congress is often the quickest to respond - by calling for an investigation.

For two reasons, it is difficult to begrudge our legislators for their quickness to call for an investigation. One is that it is the surest way to get into the news and television and is thus a potent tool for self-promotion. Another is that, when used legitimately, it may really help in the crafting of legislation.

But anybody who has ever watched any of the various ongoing and past congressional inquiries could not help but notice that, rather than serve as forums for a diligent and dignified search for truth by honorable ladies and gentlemen, they have instead become bloody arenas for character assassination by untouchable bullies.

Ideally, anybody who is invited to a congressional inquiry is a guest, and deserves to be treated as such by people who, because of their high office, are presumed to be knowledgeable, refined, and patient, in other words human beings worthy of the noble address “Your Honor.”

But that is not the way of Philippine congressional inquiries. Guests are bullied, harassed and insulted. Destroying the credibility and reputation of the guest is what is foremost in the minds of the honorable ladies and gentlemen who people these inquiries.

The search for truth is farthest down the hierarchy of priorities in these inquiries. Instead of searching for truth, the honorable ladies and gentlemen of the legislature love to play the role of judges and lawyers. Their favorite is in fact that part where they have to cut a guest short by asking him or her to answer yes or no.

How can anyone arrive at the truth on a yes or no answer? Limiting an answer to a yes or no is to tailor that answer to a preconceived notion already in the mind of the inquisitor, in which case truth is never arrived at. What happens is a mere reaffirmation of what the inquisitor wants to be put on record.

Never has a more distasteful way of wasting the taxes of the people been invented than the holding of these congressional inquiries. Even if they do result in real pieces of legislation, which they seldom do, if ever, still the abusive manner in which they are conducted, often at the expense of people's dignities, make them truly not worth it.