EDITORIAL - Radical Change

Some businessmen have been reported to be backing the call of certain bishops for a radical change in government. No move could have been more irresponsible, especially by people who, as pillars of business, are supposed to be models of social sobriety and moderation.

Their frustration is of course understandable. After all, who isn't frustrated in this country. But the business should know, more than anybody else, that the radical change the bishops are advocating is not what this country needs.

Besides, didn't the businessmen know who these bishops are? Why, they are just about five of the roughly a hundred bishops in this country. And the five bishops are special cases. Consumed by hatred, they have already gone overboard and lost all sense of right and wrong.

These bishops have found a convenient scapegoat in President Arroyo for their very own failings as shepherds of the flock. Not that Arroyo is faultless. Many of the country's ills have footprints that lead all the way to her doorstep. But she is not the only one to blame.

In fact, if we do not focus on the tree that is Arroyo and instead try to take in the whole forest, we will see that interspersed among the trees are the killer shrubs that stifle our growth. These killer shrubs are the bishops themselves.

Our growth as a nation have been stunted and stifled because there is no more fine example to look up to. Where there used to be innocent men of the cloth, we now find child molesters and sex abusers who are never made to account for their sins.

When the guardians of our morals are the ones themselves who fail us, what can ordinary mortals do but feel more vulnerable to temptations. The situation would have called for other sources of inspiration and leadership. Sad to say some businessmen are not up to the task.

The call for radical change is contrary to the very teachings of Jesus Christ. It was an unthinking and rash move by those who, failing in their tasks, would rather blame their failure on others, and never mind if the consequences will lead us to the brink of ruin.

If this country erupts into conflagration as a result of radical transformation, among the first to suffer aside from the general populace will be the businesses. What a way to go for a country that has suffered so much yet needed only a change from within.