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Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Malilong: Road to perdition
By Frank Malilong
The Other Side
In the end, it came down to the use of the only language that they understood.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits, who seized control of their detention quarter in a police camp in Taguig, left the government no choice but to apply force. They have repeatedly spurned offers of a peaceful settlement to the impasse.
The inmates knew what they were doing and its consequences. They preferred death to surrender. I wish other criminals had the same warrior’s code. One who does something stupid should be aware that retribution is inevitable and should be prepared to take it like a man instead of running to the nearest human rights organization for help.
I commend the authorities for restoring order in the camp but it is not always all’s well that ends well. Questions will have to be asked if the bloody takeover could have been avoided. The incident once more exposes the ad hoc culture in most government agencies. They do not plan; they merely react to situations.
Heads will have to roll. In more enlightened countries like Japan and South Korea, the incident would have immediately resulted in the resignation of the government officials concerned. Some of them even commit suicide to show contrition.
That is, of course, unheard of in this country so the responsible officials will have to be fired or forced to resign.
***
The various proposals to cut up Cebu into as many provinces as there are “graduating” Cebuano congressmen have expectedly drawn mixed reactions, ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime.
In the former category is the suggestion of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to call one of the proposed new provinces as Yabag. Another notable entry is the resolution of the Tuburan town council calling for the abolition of the Province of Cebu.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal the other day broke his silence on the issue and spoke against the proposal in a language that was uncharacteristically strong, if not almost harsh.
The cardinal’s allusion to the “shadows of darkness” and the “clutches of apparent evil” leaves no doubt about how strongly he feels against the plan to subdivide Cebu. I hope that the plan’s proponents would listen to the cardinal and withdraw their bills immediately.
They might have the best intentions in proposing to cut up Cebu but as the cardinal would probably be only too glad to remind them that the road to perdition is paved with best intentions.
(March 16, 2005 issue)
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