Constitutional rescue --Minguita Padilla

COMMENTARY
Constitutional rescue

First posted 02:46am (Mla time) Mar 14, 2006
By Minguita Padilla
INQ7.net



FORMER Marine battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Balutan is one of the most admired and respected officers in the Marine Corps, this according to many reports from friends in the military. He is regarded as the embodiment of courage, principle, honor and integrity. And from all we know about this man, he is truly deserving of this admiration.

Captain Ruben Guinolbay, "Hero of the Lamitan Siege" in 2001, is another jewel in the Armed Forces. The investigation that followed that siege revealed how he and his men valiantly fought off the Abu Sayyaf with the odds clearly against them, and in circumstances that reeked of betrayal of him and his men by higher-ups in the chain of command. That one incident spoke volumes of this officer's fidelity to duty and love of country even in the face of the gravest of threats.

These are but two of the many faces of our righteous soldiers now either being investigated or tried by court martial for their adherence to their constitutional
mandate "as protector of the state and defender of the people"

A "constitutional rescue" is the term Lieutenant Colonel Balutan used to describe the military plan to withdraw support from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last Feb. 24 in order to force government to cleanse the Commission on Elections and call for a snap presidential election soon after. Lieutenant Colonel Balutan said it was something that had to be resorted to because the "democratic institutions had failed to resolve the political crisis spawned by two issues: the alleged cheating in the May 2004 elections and the 'Hello Garci' tapes," which, to all but the deluded, clearly supported the accusations of massive and systematic electoral fraud.

Many experts in fact say that the cheating during the 2004 presidential election was unprecedented in its extent, its premeditation, and its brazenness. It is bad enough that the architects of this massive fraud used some sectors in the armed forces to carry out this betrayal of our trust. What infuriates the honorable members of the armed forces is that those who participated in the cheating have been rewarded in almost all ways imaginable. While those who, like Lieutenant Colonel Balutan, dared to resist the cheating and tell the truth, have been, and continue to be, persecuted.

Not contented with this injustice, the administration now wishes our people to condemn the same patriots as traitors, as enemies of the people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The front page of the Inquirer last March 10 showed a photograph of Captain Guinolbay with his fixed gaze looking straight into the camera, his eyes clear windows of honesty and sincerity. The photo accompanied an article about his investigation. Beneath it was a story that spoke of the junking by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales of a P151-million tax evasion case against "untouchable" Samuel Lee -- an act that is alleged by government insiders to have been accompanied by bribes in the millions of pesos. These two stories reflect the deplorable sate of our country today. The contrast, the selective justice or lack of it, evident in comparing the two situations, speak the sad truth to us in no uncertain terms. We are living in a successful sociopathy.

What is a sociopathy? To understand this one must first understand the sociopath. In the simplest terms, sociopaths are people who care only about fulfilling their own needs and desires and who view other people simply as possible pawns to be used toward this end. Their hallmark is an absence, or a major defect of conscience. Hence they are incapable of remorse or guilt.

According to Wynn (2005) successful sociopaths are "at least temporarily very successful in society. They achieve their success by socially unacceptable means, yet often enough society fails to challenge them. Sociopathic individuals are extremely self-confident, intelligent, and persuasive. They inspire those around them to create a dysfunctional culture often dizzy and disoriented by its success. They surround themselves by supporters who worship them. Dissenters leave or are ostracized. The community admires them and the system of justice seldom pursues them."

Apartheid and the Holocaust are ready examples of successful sociopathy. Once a successful culture (no matter how evil or dysfunctional) is established it assumes an independent momentum and spreads rapidly. It acquires a legitimacy which few dare challenge."

A successful sociopathy -- how else can we explain that we allow our righteous soldiers and patriots to be punished for upholding their constitutional mandate, while smugglers, thieves, and murderers of our institutions are allowed to go free, even rewarded, for their deeds?

How else can we fathom that we continue to pay higher taxes and silently take the abuse when we have overwhelming evidence that P728-million was plundered by this government to line the pockets of corrupt public officials during the last elections, when we have knowledge that billions of recovered Marcos wealth has vanished unaccounted for and we are now a haven for smugglers and drug dealers, while our justice system doesn't even pretend to pursue the responsible criminals with haft the passion it has shown towards punishing people whose only crime is to uphold the truth?

How else can we explain how we have allowed the executive to destroy our democratic institutions, block all forms of checks and balances, and force us to practically abandon our principles while, like mindless parrots, we mouth the pathetic ruse that there is no alternative to Mrs. Arroyo?

How else can we justify that very few now even dare ask the questions begging to be asked because we are afraid of the answers?

Lent is usually a time of reflection and penance. Perhaps this lent we should ask ourselves: "Who is the true enemy of the state?" Most of us know the answer but refuse to see. And once we discern the enemy, are we simply going watch our patriots wither away amidst the mockery of those who say that a government of honorable servant leaders is an impossible dream for us, and that our only choice is either to wallow in the murky waters of hopelessness and corruption or to migrate?

And what of our administration officials who now act like arrogant victors enjoying the spoils of war? It would do them good to remember that power is fleeting. They should also ask themselves if punishing our righteous soldiers for trying to uphold their constitutional mandate will preserve the State, or will this just add to the rage already building up among the ranks particularly in the light of the fact that those in authority continue to mangle our constitution and poison our institutions through corruption and intimidation. Will trying to move on without closure solve the problem or will it, like a plug of hardened lava, simply close off the crater of the volcano and force it to self-destruct?



Dr. Minguita Padilla is the President of Sinag, a people's crusade for good governance, and of DARE, the Drug Abuse Research Foundation. She is the daughter of the late Supreme Court senior justice Teodoro Padilla.



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