Thursday, October 04, 2007 Seares: Sacrificing that lamb By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
HE was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.
--Isaiah, 53:5-7
It was not Benjamin Abalos Sr. who said he was "a sacrificial lamb" in the $330 million national broadband controversy.
That was said by a critic who suspects the resigned Comelec chief's exit was to keep President Arroyo and her husband from being dragged to the scandal's fire.
After all, the suspicion runs, no huge project could have escaped scrutiny by the President and, ah, counseling by husband Mike.
An impeachment trial could define any trail leading to the Palace. Abalos' exit is measure to calm legislative storm, appease public wrath, and save other culprits' skin.
Or so the sacrificial lamb theory goes. But the comparison is flawed.
First, about Abalos being the lamb. The Bible speaks of robes "washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb." It talks of Isaac who, his father Abraham thought, was the lamb God wanted for burnt offering. In non-biblical sense, lamb means innocent like a child or a person easily outwitted.
Abalos can't be sacrificial lamb, said one senator, he's "the most guilty." And of course he's not dumb.
Useful
About that sacrifice: not much suffering since his retirement is only few months away.
Resignation is even useful to him. What's the rest of his term to fight over when his stay in the Comelec is already embarrassing and untenable?
And the critic's comparison is unfortunate as Abalos used it to argue he's not guilty.
"They say I'm the sacrificed lamb? Thank you. That means I'm innocent," he said as supporters cheered.
