I think we, as a society, project, through our elected leaders, the best and worst of our collective selves.
In my youth, I remember President Cory Aquino as a saintly aunt who could do no wrong. Fidel V. Ramos was the cool uncle who let you get away with things that your own parents would frown upon.
As I grew older and more educated, I saw Erap as the charming rouge–the id to my more rational self, but nevertheless harmless. When he was impeached, he served as the cautionary tale for a life lived without respectable boundaries. When Gloria Arroyo replaced him, she turned out to represent the nagging disappointments I had in life that I would rather forget.
Heading into my midlife, P-Noy embodies a fresh and vibrant, new beginning. He reflects the appreciation I have for my folks for my good upbringing and my earnest desire to leave a positive mark on this world. Thus, his latest debacle with the SAF 44 puts into perspective my own personal challenges.
Of course, my decisions do not have actual life-and-death, do-or-die consequences. Certainly, juggling the demands of peace talks and the need for secrecy to successfully carry out a mission against an infamous terrorist is way beyond my expertise. But accountability for any course of action should not diminish despite a difference in profession. Definitely, I would have preferred he take the full measure of blame as commander in chief.
I believe the flak he is currently receiving stems from this failure of expectations. If he had accepted responsibility in the first place, I think more people would have seen that his was a difficult decision with the best of intentions. The bittersweet outcome of the missionùso many lives lost to complete the missionùreminds me of opportunities lost and the need to persevere and endure after monumental failures.
In the end though, I still have faith that things will work out. After all, what else is there for a good man to do but to overcome?
—SOLIMAN DELARIARTE,
sdelariarte@yahoo.com