EDITORIAL - Measures of dignity

Teodoro Casiño, for whom no administration seems good enough unless it leans toward the left, or at least supportive of such inclination, has a strange way of measuring dignity in the House of Representatives.

He wants former president and now Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign in view of charges filed against her for poll fraud. To him, it diminishes the dignity of the House to have Arroyo around, forgetting that he owes his own seat in the House to an electoral travesty.

Besides, Casiño never made a similar demand of another congressman, Ruben Ecleo Jr., who stands accused of killing his wife and who has since gone into hiding. Does Casiño think dignity of the House gets diminished with Arroyo but not with Ecleo?

Where does Casiño really draw the line on dignity? Or does dignity even have anything to do at all with his demand? Couldn’t it be that the true reason he is demanding the resignation of Arroyo is simply because he hates her, but not against Ecleo because he hardly knows the man?

Perhaps the dignity of the House would be served far better if it is Casiño who resigns for the hypocrisy and bias with which he makes distinctions between Arroyo and Ecleo. Moreover, Casiño sits in the House despite his Bayan Muna being neither marginalized nor truly a sector.

Casiño will never resign though. He and his comrades have been trying to worm their way into government. Damn if they will give an inch now that they are in. Thank God there are still people courageous enough to put dangerous people like Casiño in their proper places.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who amid the political storm embroiling the country still has the guts to keep his perspective, was asked to comment on the demand of Casiño for Arroyo to resign. Here is what Belmonte said:

“If we are going to be technical about it, the things she is being blamed for took place before she became congresswoman. Standing from a legal point of view, I don’t think we should be demanding her resignation at this stage when her trial has not even started.”

It is doubtful, however, if this clear rebuke will chasten Casiño enough for him to shut up. Long hateful of Arroyo, Casiño is not expected to pass up on the opportunity to pounce on her especially now that she is down.