Success has many fathers. Failure is an orphan. If the Mamasapano siege were a success, the victory would have been claimed by PNoy, by General Alan L. Purisima, by Secretary Mar Roxas, acting PNP Chief General Espiña, and even Chief Superintendent Napeñas. But since it was a disaster, or a debacle, then nobody takes responsibility for it. The president keeps on saying that it was a normal police operation and the police command does not have to clear with the Chief Executive, every tactical move of the PNP. That is a diplomatic manner of washing one's hands. Secretary Roxas and General Espina were saved by the principle of blissful ignorance. They were by-passed and taken out of the chain of command. Good for them.
When the late Senator Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in the tarmac of MIA, now called NAIA, President Ferdinand Marcos and the whole Martial Law regime blamed the Communist Party of the Philippines, allegedly acting through Rolando Galman. Of course, Galman could neither admit nor deny the accusation because he was also terminated and killed by the Presidential Security Group immediately after (or was it before) the assassination of Ninoy. Then the Agrava Commission (the majority report led by Senator Ernesto F. Herrera) pointed to the military as high as the AFP Chief of Staff as the perpetrators. The rest is history. A history of blaming, of finger-pointing.
When the Martial Law regime was facing an increasingly agitated citizenry, President Marcos was blaming both the left and the right. The left means the CPP/NPA with various front like the NDF, the militant unions, student activists, urban poor and rural farmers' and fishers' organizations. The right means the business community led by the Makati Business Club, the Church led by Cardinal Jaime Sin and the professionals like the MABINI lawyers of Rene Saguisag, Joker Arroyo, Bobbit Sanchez and Jojo Binay. When President Cory was beleaguered by no less than seven coups, her administration blamed the young military officials led by now Senator Gringo Honasan.
When Erap faced the EDSA 2 people power, he was blaming the conspiracy of the Church, the business sector and the professionals who supposedly looked down on him being a college drop-out. GMA also was blaming the opposition for all the accusations against her. Senator Manny Villar blamed his political opponents for his political debacle. Chief Justice Renato Corona blamed the administration for conspiring against him due to the Supreme Court decision in the Hacienda Luisita case. Senators Enrile, Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada blamed the ruling party for their current predicament. Everybody is blaming everybody else. Finger-pointing is a curse.
My reflection is that finger-pointing was invented in Eden, when Adam blamed Eve for tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit, and Eve in turn, blamed the serpent. Today, the curse of finger-pointing continues to beleaguer our lives and nation. Nobody is accepting responsibility. Everyone else is at fault.