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Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Editorials: Balancing act amid oil woes
With the prevailing factional strife in the country, it is not difficult for the political opposition to dismiss as squid tactics calls by the Arroyo administration to set aside partisan politics in the face of the looming energy problem.
Conversely, it would also not be difficult for the Arroyo administration to label as part of a destabilization plot the political opposition’s pursuit of the impeachment complaint and other honest criticisms of government acts despite the current oil woes.
Indeed, it is just unfortunate that prices of petroleum products are soaring in a period of intense political conflict, making efforts to address it more complicated.
But while a segment of the population has already given up on this country’s politicians, it would also be wrong for the public to fold its arms and not put pressure on them to shape up and help save, instead of rock further, a sinking ship.
Not rocking the boat so the country can address the energy problem may not mean the opposition letting go of, say, going to the bottom of the allegations against President Arroyo; both issues can still be pursued, though with a different stress and mode.
In this sense, the administration and the opposition can be told to give primacy to the effort to solve the oil problem, while at the same time continue to deal with the President’s impeachment and other issues as secondary concern.
This sober approach, though, will only happen if the Arroyo administration and the political opposition reduce, or even do away fully with their excesses in the handling of the “Garci tape” scandal and other issues.
The excesses include the peddling of lies and half-truths that, for the opposition, are apparently meant to destabilize the situation and, for the administration, are clearly aimed at strengthening the President’s shaky hold on power.
Reports on Dumpit’s wounding
The sincerity of Cebu City police homicide probers in going after the perpetrators of the spate of vigilante-style killings in Cebu City will now be tested following reports of the wounding of SPO1 Adonis Dumpit.
This is because witnesses to the vigilante-style shooting of former jail mayor de mayores Alemar Luna in Barangay Buhisan last month have insisted that Luna, who was able to fire back, hit one of the masked assailants in the leg.
While Dumpit, who interestingly claimed he is now in Davao Oriental, has denied his supposed wounding, a simple check by homicide probers on him can easily prove or disprove the claim and in the process either clear Dumpit or finally give clues as to the identities of these so-called vigilantes.
(August 16, 2005 issue)
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