Applying Scott Peck’s ‘People of the Lie’ to the Binays

In the book “People of the Lie,” noted psychiatrist and author Dr. Scott Peck mentioned some characteristics of evil people:

First, refusal to acknowledge sin (or crime). Through the past three Senate inquiries on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2, Vice President Jejomar Binay and his children, Senator Nancy, Mayor Junjun and House Representative Abigail, have steadfastly denied that the former mayor of Makati and now VP pocketed millions of pesos in kickbacks from the building contractor, Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.

This is contrary to the testimony of Ernesto Mercado, former vice mayor and partner in crime of VP Binay, who admitted during the Senate inquiry that he received P80 million from the project. Mercado said that it was the usual practice for the elder Binay, during his time as mayor, to take 13 percent of the funds for major projects. Mayor Junjun himself admitted that the 11-story car park-office facility might have been overpriced but he justified the exorbitant cost by saying that the building was “world-class,” a claim debunked by experts during the inquiry.

Second, intolerance of criticism. The Binays rejected the allegations against them as politically motivated. Instead of refuting the allegations against him, VP Binay refuses to attend the Senate inquiry. According to Peck, one sure sign of evil persons is their hatred of “the light of scrutiny that exposes them, (and) the light of truth that penetrates their deception. Blissfully lacking a sense of morality, they are continually engaged in sweeping the truth under the rug of their own consciousness.”

Third, scapegoating. Peck says this term means putting the blame on others in order to protect the integrity of their sick selves—VP Binay has accused deceased city engineer Nelson Morales, Mercado and Mario Hechanova (former member of the Makati city government’s bidding and awards committee). It was Hechanova who testified that biddings in Makati City had been rigged to favor Hilmarc’s.

Fourth, disguise and pretense. The birthday cakes for Makati’s senior citizens and other medical freebies are nothing but instruments of deceit and manipulation designed to perpetuate the Binays in power and allow them to continue enjoying the illegal benefits derived from it. Senator Nancy vehemently denies that she is Makati’s “Queen of Cakes.” But her denial flies in the face of those who know the real story about the overpriced cakes.

Fifth, bottomless greed. There was a holy monk in the Middle Ages who said: “If you amass money more than what you need, you’re a crook.” Only a certified moron would accept that the millions of pesos in the bank accounts of the Binays, including the many real estate properties they own, are fruits of VP Binay and his wife’s honest labor.

Dr. Peck said that based on his long experience as a psychiatrist and a counselor, “evil seems to run in families” and that it “contaminates or destroys persons who remain too long in its presence.

Are the Binays evil?

—CARLOS D. ISLES,

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