Did Fr. Panlilio Do The Right Thing?
If I were Pampanga Governor Fr. Ed Panlilio, I would have done the same. Accept it, I mean.
I would not return the money. What for, so Malacañang can buy a more willing official? Or an innocent one? His revelation has been corroborated by Gov. Mendoza already, which makes it even more imperative to secure the moolah as hard evidence for future use.
What is P500,000, anyway. There's a lot more where it came from. Always available to spread this government's ugly disease to those who entered Congress with pure intentions, like those idealist neophyte congressmen and well-meaning party-list reps. One less enemy to do us damage, one small victory achieved, isn't it to our advantage?
Among Ed in my book did the most strategic act that had achieved more than if he had outright rejected it. First, he let those involved make fools of themselves for their insolence, lying out of their teeth in media, making their bribery accusers subject of ridicule. And just as the reckless bunch thought they had everything under wraps, here comes Among Ed making them look silly by speaking out and exposed the naked truth, more liars were unmasked, and their earlier denials had put them in an ugly and compromising situation. Now, who had the last laugh?
Secondly, he has now gotten the upper hand, he dictates the tempo of the game. The enemy is at best guessing his next moves so he must plan and play his best attack line at this time the opponents' defenses are weak. I would go with the suggestion to display it in a venue accessible to the public. I'd probably ask the foreign press to witness the unveiling. I would even go further by erecting a small monument that would remind all present and future generations of Filipinos (and the world) how one brazen attempt by a favored province mate and her ilk to conceal the truth, including a foolhardy scheme to buy the soul of a servant of God so that she survives the deafening angry calls for accountability and reforms. A few bundles of money which value is worth a hundredfold and adds more value over time if it were handled in a cleverly controlled manner. I'll bet you my noisy neighbor this effort will merit worldwide attention.
This is one opportunity I would not let pass. The beauty of this move is that the awareness of those who seek change for the right reasons have one standard by which to base their future actions on or it could influence others to become more creative when dealing with this beast called corruption and the beast's masters. We can encourage more honesty in our officials because they wouldn't know what we, prospective bribe receivers. have under our sleeves.
I may be overrating Panlilio, but in the wake of what he did, he has opened some minds and sprung some ideas out into the fore. For that alone, I don't regret being vocal about my support for the Governor.
Now, we envy Pampangeños even more.
Labels: Bribery, Fr. Ed Panlilio, Governor, Malacañang
posted by Tongue's Wrath @ 10/16/2007 07:03:00 AM
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