Alan Peter Cayetano’s metamorphosis

The metamorphosis of Alan Peter Cayetano from an anticorruption crusader into an ardent supporter of the most brutal president of the country cannot be left to empty speculation.

Cayetano is enamored with power even at the cost of turning his back on the democratic principles he has stood for all his political life.

He enjoys power like a heady wine.

During the 2016 Senate hearings on corruption allegations against Jejomar Binay, I marveled at Cayetano’s brilliance in probing the legal intricacies of the case: His arguments were data-based, his logic impeccable and his drive toward ridding this country of corruption was like sharp rays of light that cut through Binay’s lies.

Indeed, watching Cayetano argue in favor of what is morally and legally correct was simply delightful. But not anymore.

In spite of his sartorial elegance, Cayetano now looks like a shell of his former self: a calculating, compromising person adept at apple-polishing his principal, asking people to understand President Duterte’s foul language, his “scorch earth” policies in eliminating suspected users of illegal drugs, and his spirited defense of China’s behavior regarding the South China Sea controversy.

During Cayetano’s confirmation hearing, he asked those present to help him become a good diplomat.

Nobody can make you into a good diplomat, Mr. Alan Peter Cayetano. That is a challenge you and you alone can meet.

As a simple senior Filipino citizen dribbling the final years of my life, please accept this advice: Secretary Cayetano, a few years from now, your fame will soon be forgotten and your political influence will shrivel into insignificance.

What will matter is not your clout with the present administration but your ability to be the voice of reason amid the spate of killings of suspected drug dependents without due process, the ongoing rape by the Duterte administration of democratic institutions, and the selling out of portions of our country to the rapacious intent of China.

Being a good diplomat of this country is not a matter of accident. It is a choice you and you alone can make whether you want to be a principled and respected diplomat or a shameful chameleon.

CARLOS D. ISLES, carlosisles@gmail.com