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Are members of the House of Representatives a bunch
of idiots? Quickly, let’s conduct a public opinion survey. It’s
important that many of us believe that they are not fools because
they enact laws that affect our lives.
Imagine our country in a state of
anarchy because people cannot distinguish the inmates of the
National Mental Hospital from the honorable members of Congress.
Some inmates think they are more honorable and they should enact our
laws. Of course, the congressmen know better. Do you agree? Is it
the other way around? Maybe it’s around the other way.
It is common knowledge that the
government finds it hard to implement many laws passed by Congress.
It will be next to impossible to make people follow any law if they
think the authors were a bunch of idiots.
Sen. Miriam Santiago described
our congressmen as idiots. Can you believe that? The good senator
was reacting to their plan to pass legislation on the archipelago
baselines of the country.
Most of us lack the technical
knowledge to appreciate the fine points of archipelago baselines,
but we cannot help getting worried about the state of mind of our
congressmen. The good senator has vocalized the suspicion of some
people, including those in the mental hospital, who keep asking the
question about their congressman: “Is he one of us?”
It is possible that the good
senator said it in a fit of anger, or at the height of a passionate
speech about a sensitive issue. It is public knowledge, however,
that the good senator chooses her words carefully.
In fact, in the past, she has
called some congressmen more colorful names. She called one
congressman “fungus-faced” and the others as “tatlo singko”
(cheap). It is clear that her latest outburst was not a mistake.
Reacting to Santiago’s
bombardments, Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra said: “Sen. Miriam
Santiago should be taught a lesson on parliamentary courtesy.”
Mitra, however, did not specify in what form the lesson would be,
and it added to the confusion.
Another congressman, Cebu City
Rep. Antonio Cuenco said: “She went out of line when she said that
those advocating the drawing of our baselines are idiots.” He
likened Santiago to a basketball player, who “just wants to
dribble the ball without intending to shoot.” Many people fail to
get the connection between idiots and a basketball player dribbling
the ball, and the confusion deepens.
Suppose Sen. Santiago is right?
What are the implications? In several coffeeshop discussions people
were laughing. “Heh, heh, heh. Sama-sama tayong lahat. Tayo ay mga
tanga.”
If we conduct the survey and the
result shows that the people’s confidence on the sanity of our
congressmen remains intact, does it matter that the members of the
House of Representatives are idiots? Well, we live in a democracy,
and the majority rules. No need to go around and ask: “Are we all
idiots?”
What if the majority of Filipinos
believed Sen. Santiago? After all, she’s a senator of the
republic, who nearly became president of the country. Does it really
matter that the members of the House of Representatives are idiots?
In a country of idiots, it follows that members of the legislature
are also idiots.
It’s totally unfair for anybody
to say that the House of Representatives is interchangeable with the
National Mental Hospital. There is a distinction between an idiot
and a madman. It’s not for us to say who is better. The idiot can
shake a finger and say, “you’re mad.” But a madman can laugh
and say, “I may be mad, but I’m not stupid.”
We would be surprised if our
congressmen act out of character, or in the manner that is totally
unexpected. If you think he is an idiot, you can choose to vote for
a mad man in the next election. If you agree with what he is doing
even if he is an idiot, what’s wrong with that?
If a man will embarrass others
because he split his pants in the seams while reaching for something
in the supermarket shelf and he’s not wearing any underwear, is it
his fault that women shoppers scream in horror? He cannot be charged
with obscenity, but if he happens to be your congressman, he is
either a mad man or an idiot.
palaciosjp@sss.gov.ph
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