Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Antalan: A confused nation By Roger P. Antalan Dateline: Igacos
CONFUSION is not a nice topic to talk about especially after the glorious feast of the Resurrection. However, from informal interviews during the long holidays, when people were asked about their comments on the country's present crisis, the most common response was, "Ambot. Gubot kaayo (Don;t know. Very confusing.)" This is not surprising.
A story is told during the Martial Law days. A group of concerned priests, religious, and laymen met to discuss a united action against the Marcos dictatorship. After a long sharing of ideas, a layperson asked the priests: "What is the official stand of the Church?" (meaning the bishops). One of the priests answered with a knowing smile: "The official position of the Church is confusion."
It looks like history is repeating itself. The inquiry on the alleged corruption over the cancelled $329-million contract on the proposed broadband network project with China's ZTE Corporation has taken a toll on Church solidarity. There is a split among the church hierarchy on whether to demand the resignation of the President or not.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued statement that strongly condemned the "continuing culture of corruption from top to bottom of our society" but most of the bishops refused to call for the removal or resignation of President Arroyo. The bishops called for "communal action" in search of the truth, with the President leading that action. The term "communal action" left the faithful confused over what the bishops meant.
Someone has said: "Life is full of contradictions." This is happening in this country today. Let's start with the President. She issued Executive Order 464 preventing Cabinet officials from testifying before Congressional investigations on grounds of executive privilege. What is there to hide? Subsequently however, the president lifted EO 464. Now they can talk. But the president's men have not put their acts together, giving different, if not conflicting, versions to explain away the grave accusations of the alleged scandals.
In another front, the Senate investigation is caught in an impasse. It has gone nearly one hundred hours over 12 hearings during six months. Should they not terminate the inquiry and draft a report for further and more effective action? Are the senators really after the truth in aid of legislation, or are they just grandstanding for media mileage, as some Senators themselves claimed?
The protesters and rallyists have fallen into the trap of name-calling and bad-mouthing they are mad at some dioceses that do not want to join their mass rallies. While there is reason to be outraged because of what is perceived as gross corruption in government, they should not blame people who are still trying to define their stand. They should not look with disdain upon those who are not with them. We are a nation that is not only divided but also confused and tired. Sobriety should be the prevailing disposition.
It seems that the opposition is also in great disarray. It is not clear what they really want, what they can offer. Do they really want PGMA to be ousted or not? Is it true that the opposition is not comfortable with a Noli de Castro takeover? Better a lame duck, discredited Gloria in 2010 than a stronger sitting President Noli de Castro? Are there plans for a snap election, a junta, an Erap comeback, etc., etc.? Is the strategy to confuse the enemy? At present, many people are confused with the many faces of the opposition.
To add to the dilemma of the ordinary citizen searching for the right decision and direction, he is faced with a barrage of manifestos and pledges proclaiming the "truth" of how great the president administration is, accompanied by the brave signatures of the majority of the municipal and city mayors, governors and national agency officials in loyal support of the President.
Perhaps at this juncture a warning can be issued to all signers of manifestos and whistleblowers alike. If not heeded, it can heighten the confusion. It comes from William Blake and it goes like this: "A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."
For sure, there are many more conflicting positions to baffle our minds. One more item has to be added. Cardinal Rosales of the Manila Archdiocese stated that the struggle between the administration and the opposition is between the corrupt and the corrupt. We are caught between the "devil and the deep blue sea." It's like what H. Beecher Hicks said, talking about troubles, "Everyone is either coming out of a storm, in a storm, or headed for a storm." What a convoluted tight fix we are in!
For our sanity, however, let's wind up with some bits of humor. The first one is from Bits and Pieces, a collection of stories and sayings "If you think you are confused, consider poor Columbus. He didn't know where he was going when he started. When he got there, he didn't know where he was. When he got back, he didn't know where he'd been."
The next funny little story could be a fitting ending. A public meeting was completely getting out of hand. The room was full of noisy conflicting voices. Everyone tried to make himself heard. Finally, the chairman rapped sharply with his gavel and called for order: "Gentlemen, gentlemen," he said, "let's keep this confusion orderly."
And so, what's the next thing to do? I don't know. I am still confused.
