EDITORIAL - Thank you

Five Cebuano congressmen were among the 42 members of the justice committee of the House of Representatives who voted to dismiss the latest impeachment complaint against President Arroyo for lack of substance.

The five are Reps. Raul del Mar and Antonio Cuenco of Cebu city's north and south districts, respectively; Eduardo Gullas of the first district of Cebu province; Pablo Garcia of the second district; and Pablo John Garcia of the third district.

These congressmen should be applauded instead of reviled, as what leftist congressman Teodoro Casino implied when he labeled those who refused to along with him as playing "deaf and blind to the truth."

Truth is one of the two most abused words in the language of Philippine politics, the other being "people." The word truth is much abused because everybody, but most especially the political opposition, seems to insist on having exclusive possession of it.

Failed NBN-ZTE bidder and sour-graper Joey de Venecia, who filed the impeachment complaint, and his cohorts in the left and from the opposition, all seem to think it is they alone who know and speak the truth to the utter exclusion of others.

And then, with unabashed liberties, they invoke the name of the people, that other unfortunate word, shamelessly claiming to act and speak for them as if they have been given an express mandate or franchise to do so.

Well, that is not true and is very far from it. Most people resent having their name invoked over something they have not been consulted about, or worse, something they actually resent.

Just because President Arroyo happens to be unpopular, or may have in fact committed real mistakes and anomalies does not give license to anyone to take shortcuts with the law, on the assumption that unpopularity or illegality justifies the commission of another illegality.

So thanks to the five Cebuano solons and others who voted with them for their courage to stick to the law and not with what is popular. Indeed, where is the beef? If we allow even a president to be convicted without evidence, how much more for the poor and powerless?