Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Editorial: Need for sobriety
STAGING another debilitating people power at this point may be counterproductive.
But the confluence of devastating circumstances amid the clash of personal interest-driven demands for the so-called truth in the national broadband network (NBN) controversy has placed the peace and quiet of the republic in harm’s way.
In the eye of the on-going political storm appears to be President Arroyo herself.
For while she may not have any hand in whipping up the strong winds, she has nonetheless generated enough controversy to raise the specter of Edsa 1 and 2 and putting on the line our country’s political peace.
Serious issue
What makes the situation gravely worrisome, however, is the fact that a horde of interest groups want to use the issue to gain advantage.
Senate hearings the past few days showed that efforts to contain the fire sparked by the NBN deal investigations only made even serious the scandal.
An example is the Rodolfo Lozada Jr. case, with the President’s aides saying the man was given protection but other people say was abduction.
Revolt
People from the ranks of the Church and left-wing militants are now bringing together the anti-Arroyo forces to again ask the President’s resignation.
This could be just the excuse in consolidating the “forces” of the Church and the left-wing militants and gather the crowd needed to stage another people power revolt in the same magnitude as Edsa 1 and 2.
The question to ask, though, is how “mad” are the people?
Observers of the probe on the NBN scandal say that should the protest actions escalate to an unmanageable level, the loser in the confrontation would be the country and the uninvolved population.
There is no way the “innocents” could be spared.
Sobriety
Thus, in the face of this reality, there is need for us to assume a measure of sobriety.
This republic may be feeling politically hobbled now, but not economically destabilized.
The rank of the severely hungry Central Visayans has decreased to just about 7 percent in recent months.
It is indication that the region’s economy is not in dire straits.
But it would be if another violent confrontation should occur in this republic.
