Plausible deniability

Coined by the CIA during the Kennedy administration, plausible deniability refers to the withholding of classified information from high officials so that in case covert activities of the CIA that are either illegal or unpopular are exposed or become public knowledge, said officials can therefore 'plausibly deny' the allegation.

According to Wiki, “The term most often refers to the denial of blame in (formal or informal) chains of command, where senior figures assign responsibility to the lower ranks, and records of instructions given do not exist or are inaccessible, meaning independent confirmation of responsibility for the action is nearly impossible. In the case that illegal or otherwise disreputable and unpopular activities become public, high-ranking officials may deny any awareness of such act or any connection to the agents used to carry out such acts.”

I'm raising the concept of plausible deniability in light of President Aquino's recent State of the Nation Address, as well as the many times he's publicly berated his own appointed officials. And these do not happen during spot checks when inefficiencies are instantly identified on-site, but in prepared speeches—the grandest of all is the annual SONA. There's a difference; the former is done in the heat of the moment, out of sheer frustration seeing up close incompetence and ineptitude plaguing the bureaucracy; the latter is deliberate, premeditated. It's show business.

To me, Aquino tries to create plausible deniability through distancing himself from the virtual uselessness of his very own appointed officials by way of his public scolding sessions, culminating in last Monday's SONA.

To refresh your memory, here are some quotes from SONA 2013, particularly the parts where the President chides officials of the BOC and NIA (excluding the tirade against the Bureau of Immigration):

For the Bureau of Customs: “Imbes na maningil ng tamang buwis at pigilan ang kontrabando, parang walang pakundangan ang pagpapalusot nila ng kalakal, pati na ng ilegal na droga, armas, at iba pa sa ating teritoryo. Tinataya nga po ng Department of Finance na mahigit 200 billion pesos ang kita na dumudulas lang at hindi napupunta sa kaban ng bayan. Saan po kayo kumukuha ng kapal ng mukha ang mga kawani sa ahensyang ito? (Instead of collecting the proper taxes and preventing the entry of contraband, they are neglectfully permitting the smuggling of goods, and even illegal drugs, arms, and other items into our territory. The Department of Finance estimates that more than 200 billion pesos in revenue slips through our borders without going into public coffers. Where do these people get the gall?)”

(Actually way more than 200 billion is lost in annual revenues; at least twice I've written about the International Monetary Fund's Direction of Trade Statistics whose figures illustrate the dire situation of smuggling in our country, worse than the 10 years of Arroyo or the two years of Estrada, whether per annum or cumulatively, and especially considering it's been only three years for Aquino versus Arroyo's 10 years.)  

For the National Irrigation Authority: “Imbes na maglatag ng plano para sa mga bagong patubig, kuntento na sila sa paulit-ulit na rehabilitasyon ng mga irigasyon. Masabi lang na may nagawa, kahit puro patsi-patsing trabaho, masaya na sila. (Instead of laying out plans for new irrigation systems, they are content with the continuous rehabilitation of existing irrigation. For them, sloppy repairs are enough just to say they have already done something.)”

It's tempting to call it transparency, that it was the President sincerely painting an unadulterated picture of the true 'State of the Nation.' But come on. It's nothing more than the usual finger-pointing and what he does best: pa-pogi points. Fix them, don't report to the nation what you claim you've accomplished for the country and at the same time wash your hands from the failures only you can actually address through your appointees. As it appears, we have Pontius Pilate for a president.

The stunt evidently preys on public sentiment and perception. It puts him alongside you and me, victims of a deeply ingrained culture of corruption that has and continues to pervade in practically every government agency. He is a victim too, one who struggles with the corrupt system. At least that's what he and his spin doctors want you and me to believe, so you'll see him as a fellow victim you can identify with, one who's spoken with the loudest voice the frustrations and aggravations you've kept for so long inside. In the process, you live vicariously through him, he becomes your champion. He echoes your cries with a booming blare only a person of his destiny is able to. But the truth is, he is nothing like you or me because he is president and there is a thing called command responsibility that comes with his mandate, no matter how idealistic and up there the concept may be. And his job is not to merely echo our sentiments and whine every chance he gets. His job is to solve those problems and choose the most competent and qualified people to help him do it. 

He has not only the power but the responsibility, more so, the moral obligation to police his ranks. With the outrageous figures at Customs, how can he let things drag on well into the middle of his term? Worse, after his performance of a lifetime at the Batasan, just when the officials concerned decided to do the right thing and resign their posts (and who wouldn't after that padungog of epic scale), he refuses to accept their resignations. Tsk. Someone has got to be sick in the head here—the president, his appointees, or the public who buys the bull crap peddled, take your pick.

Come to think of it, it's not even plausible deniability; it's more a theatrical refusal of accountability. Bravo, say many. But to the truly discerning, he's a farce who's frequently engaged in doublespeak, a person afflicted  with dissociative identity disorder (dual or multiple personality), in that he says one thing and does another.

Astonishing how this monumental display of passing the buck is elevated to a perverse brand of “heroism” or “exemplary leadership.” So you're elected as president and when matters within your purview go awry, when push comes to shove, you can simply rant and bitch and throw a tantrum to point fingers and already people think you're doing a mighty fine job? Hooomaaygaash.

Not that Filipinos are stupid, no. In fact, Filipinos are brilliant and ingenious and resilient. Perhaps we're only too busy working too hard to bring food to the table and so there isn't much room to be extra judicious and diagnostic in processing the burning issues of the day. That, or the presidential psychosis is a glaring symptom of a national illness, a societal schizophrenia we have yet to fully face and try to come to terms with.

***

www.facebook.com/MikeAcebedoLopez

Twitter: @MykLopez

Email: [email protected]