Friday, March 07, 2008 Roperos: Not a hero By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
THERE was this report that handlers of whistleblower Rodolfo Lozada Jr. was contemplating on bringing him to Cebu, most possibly in an effort to stir more fire among Cebuanos and make them join calls for President Arroyo to step down. But some local leaders refused to buy the idea of Lozada as hero.
At any rate, Lozada’s plan to spread to the provinces the anti-Gloria gospel is not quite to my taste. Regardless of whose money it is that Lozada is spending, the fact is it does not sound right to make political capital out of a public official’s performance in public office.
However, the way things are moving in the Senate, as well as the attitude of concerned citizens to Lozada, indicate that they are hell bent on making him as some sort of a hero in the NBN overpricing probe. But the way it looks, the public is not buying their idea or the effort. Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo voiced out a shared sentiment when she said welcoming Lozada would be a waste of time.
In a sense, what would it really matter if the anti-Gloria community won’t cease to find the ways to go after her hide if the only result they would get would be a disorientation of our drive to achieve economic growth and political peace?
I think the projected visits to the provinces of Lozada would really be tantamount to making him go on a campaign trail to achieve such a disorientation of our current efforts to gain a stable economy and political peace.
Mayor Zambo was reported to have said that Lozada’s being raised to a celebrity status has reached “the height of ridiculousness.” And having earlier talked with a taxi driver just a few days ago, I am quite prepared to agree with her.
The driver, while listening to the radio newscast while driving, suddenly remarked: “Mopusta ko nga kini si Lozada kandidatohon sab unya ni nila pagka-senador. Ingna kong bakakon, sir, mora na gud na siya ug nangampaniya.”
Truth to tell now, I think it would be an overkill on the part of Lozada’s handler to push him on the “campaign trail” when he already had more exposure than the opposition needs with the “NBN-ZTE song” he sang last week.
Really, that the GMA critics, including some elements of the Church, failed to draw the mass support needed to drive her out of the Palace was not due to their cause but more because of the people’s diminished belief in the results of “people power.”
