Let us know what’s happening to our officials

From an article written by Mr. Bobby Nalzaro (yes, I read his column and listen to his radio commentary program quite regularly), I learned of the sad state of the medical situation of former Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem. I should thank Mr. Nalzaro, for his informative write-up because while I am not that very close a friend of Jack’s, he attended to few concerns that I brought to him with inspiring zeal as if I was one of his closest buddies. So privileged was I in those times that in my book, I have come to consider Mr. Jakosalem, as an embodiment of a rare kind of a public servant. So, here is a sincere wish for him to get well soon.

Mr. Nalzaro’s article reminded me of two former heads of state. The first was US President Ronald Reagan and the second was our own Ferdinand E. Marcos. Despite a perceived tight security cordon around him, Reagan was felled by the bullets of John Hinkley. Yet, within hours, White House issued regular bulletins telling the American nation, and the world, the condition of their president. There seemed to be no attempt to keep the public uninformed of the president’s status. On the contrary, it appeared like the power wielders felt it was their absolute responsibility to let their citizens know every so often how Reagan was progressing from the medical procedure he was subjected to ASAP.

We had a different case in the Philippines. In the last few years of the regime of the late President Marcos, ugly rumors flew around concerning his alleged debilitating health. Even if Malacañang countered those rumors with reports harping on his great physical shape, they persisted. I do remember an instance that in the midst of rumors that he was on deathbed, he flew to Cancun in Mexico, and was shown on television surfboarding! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. When Pres. Marcos left Malacañang, we were horrified to have been shown how certain portions of the palace became the virtual hospital bed for an ailing head of state.

The White House and the Malacañang then demonstrated obvious contrasting positions. They were in a similar bind of the presidents’ being critically ill, yet the former believed it letting the public know what was happening to their president while the latter thought of suppressing truthful information.

It thus became obvious that when the 1986 Constitutional Commission worked on the fundamental law, the commissioners knew what was right.  They wrote that in similar cases, it is a right of the people to know how the president is faring. I think that among the most beneficial effects of issuing regular medical bulletins is to assure the citizenry that government machinery does not bog down because there even is someone showing everybody that everything is being addressed.

It may just be a good idea that the constitutional provision of informing the country on the physical condition of the president be made of general application. Not only may it be an obligation on the part of government to tell us how a sick president is doing, I submit that whenever a public official who is responsible for the delivery of a basic is taken critically ill, the people should be told.

In so far as holders of positions lower to the presidency is concerned, there are other aspects to consider. We can learn a lesson from the case of the late radio personality Marlon Bellita whose hospitalization was also written about by Mr. Nalzaro. While Marlon was struggling for life, his medical case was broadcast. People reacted positively. Prayers were said, but more realistically speaking, many offered material assistance in a way that somehow comforted the family he eventually left.

I do not wish to be misunderstood here. I believe that the Jakosalems dwell in flourished life and may not need the kind of financial support some of us do in situation Jack is in. But, if there is a mandate to tell the people what is happening to a vital cog in the government machinery, (that is how I call Jack, as the CITOM Chairman) we may have that kind of information that can help us assess what better thing is there for us to do. Just thinking!