The wise bishops and the naive Aquino
Two supposedly influential entities in Philippine politics, former president Corazon Aquino and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Their contrasting positions, however, came as no surprise. Having once called on Arroyo to resign, Aquino cannot but reprise her chosen role. The bishops, on the other hand, grappling with their own devils inside their glass houses, cannot but pocket their stones.
Aquino was swept into power at a time when even a dog was a better alternative to the Marcos dictatorship. There was no time to check her credentials, whose utter lack of them cannot be better underscored than the many attempts to remove her in the same way she came in.
It would have been no skin of the nation's back if she had gone, except that Filipinos are naturally decent people who are inherently respectful of order and institutions. The coup attempts against Aquino failed not because she was strong but because Filipinos were stronger.
During her time, the Aquino government had its own devils, including the ignominy of having a human rights record that was, ironically, worse than that of Marcos. And the sprawling farmlands of her family were far from being the land of promise and deliverance for workers.
But first impressions do last a long time. So it was hard for Aquino to be dissociated from the images of harmlessness and naivete that she projected when the martyrdom of her husband inadvertently pushed her up front in the nation's struggle for freedom.
Her own failings and shortcomings are conveniently easy to set aside and ignore whenever the nation needs a symbolic image to rally around. What is amazing is that Aquino actually believes her own lionization. If suckers are born every minute, some suckers live a lifetime.
Just look at the ease with which Aquino blends into the present company she keeps, which includes, of all people, such personalities of " sterling " qualities as Joseph Estrada, another former president who went down in history as the first leader to be convicted of plunder.
How can Aquino call for the resignation of Arroyo on allegations of corruption and at the same time have no qualms about rubbing elbows with Estrada. If she cannot see the difference then she is truly hopeless.
Former presidents all over the decent world always treat incumbents with courteous respect, perhaps in deference to the position they shared. But not Aquino, who went ballistic when the Arroyo government targetted her family's huge landholdings for land reform.
Thus Aquino became a convenient partner of the enemies of Arroyo. Birds without feathers truly flock together. Even individual bishops, as well as priests and nuns, eagerly jumped on board, seizing the opportunity to deflect attention away from their own skeletons.
But unlike the naive Aquino, the bishops understood that, collectively, they cannot be seen and heard as advocating a moral revolution that was a sham, of pushing for change that changes nothing, except perhaps for the names and faces of the players.
At least individually, the bishops can give vent to their biases and delusions. When the circus comes to town, there is always a booth for everyone. Collectively, however, just as in the main show on the center ring, the high wire is off limits to the clowns.
A collective position is a risky proposition. Unlike individual tentacles that can easily be cut and disowned, a collective position exposes the head and body unnecessarily. And the CBCP simply cannot take that risk. It is in no position to make a leap of faith.
Take Bishop Teodoro Bacani. As an individual, he can easily be dismissed as a human being with human weaknesses. But as a member of a group criticizing those same human weaknesses, he immediately sticks out like a lightning rod. Unlike Aquino, the bishops at least know better.
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