INSOFAR as the camp of former Board Member Lilia Pineda is concerned, all things related to the revision of ballots in the 2007 gubernatorial election are already a closed book.
After about two years-and-a-half of waiting for the Commission on Elections to resolve the issue on who really won the gubernatorial contest, the soft-spoken lady from Lubao finally emerged victorious with 2,011 lead over the priest-turned-politician.
With all the power, wealth and unquestionable influence of the Pineda clan, especially now that a close friend and ally is at the helm of Malacañang, Governor Pineda can easily force Governor Panlilio out of the Capitol. But the new governor wants a peaceful transition and is hoping that the incumbent governor would respect the Comelec decision and the rule of law and voluntarily vacate the Governor’s Office.
But it seems this won’t happen soon enough. Governor Panlilio and his supporters led by his provincial administrator are bent on bringing their case all the way to the Supreme Court – in the hope of overturning the recount result or staying at the Capitol until elections day.
But aside from legal actions, Governor Panlilio has once again injected some drama into his political predicament.
Over the weekend, he ran with Fr. Robert Reyes from Capitol ground to Lubao town to dramatize his supposed battle against what he termed as “dark forces.” He is a Catholic priest and in religion, “dark” means evil.
Honestly, I find Governor Panlilio’s latest drama to be overkill or something too much for the realists to digest.
What is happening at the Capitol is a political development. Nothing more and nothing else. It’s not about a battle between the good and evil. It’s merely a political scuffle between two politicians who both subjected themselves to the recount process until judgment day finally came.
If Governor Panlilio really believes that politics is dirty and evil, he should not have carried his feet toward the dirty and wicked pavement of politics in the first place.
The problem with some supposedly “religious” men is that they sometimes have unsound view of what is good and what is evil. Getting what you want is not necessarily good. Rules must be followed without dragging the “highest authority” to the political field.
The universal maxim is very clear: The end does not justify the means.
If the issue is worldly, better not infuse it with anything spiritual. If what is at stake is something political, better not treat the matter as religious by invoking “light versus darkness” or similar phrases.
Pampangueños are fed up with this supposed good-versus-evil drama at the provincial level. They want positive actions more than sermons and counsels for their souls that they already get during worship day.
The only way for Governor Panlilio to prove that he really defeated Governor Pineda in the 2007 elections is through proper legal actions. Filipinos, particularly Kapampangans, are known to be religious. But at the end of the day, political controversies will still be resolved through legal means - not through religion-themed dramas.