When Public Accountability Matters

When Public Accountability Matters
By Erick San Juan


When there’s smoke, there’s fire, so goes the saying. I am referring here of the issue raised by Senator Miriam Santiago that “China may ask a number of things, which include an agreement on their stand on the Spratly Islands, the termination of the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement, or a joint program between the Chinese and the Philippine armed forces.” She added that international relations do not just involve wooing another country.

This matter should be taken into consideration in the light of how geostrategy works in dealing with controversial issues like the contested areas in the South China Sea.

But sad to say, another blunder has led to this comment regarding Spratley Islands. To quote : But what if China does not grant the request? Anxious to please the President, DFA sources said Philippine Ambassador to China, Francisco Benedicto indicated in a meeting with Chinese officials that the Philippines is willing to drop the Spratleys in exchange for the freedom of the Filipino drug mules.

A source said it was disaster. Benedicto has been recalled. Malacanang is on the lookout for a new ambassador to China. (Source : http://www.ellentordesillas.com/ )

Truly a disaster. How could anyone give such a tactless comment to such crucial issue? This blunder from a government official, if the said account is true, is a big no no in diplomatic relations especially matters concerning national interest and security for that matter.

This administration has been committing several mistakes lately and the rest of the nation can’t help but to speculate that indeed there’s no one minding the store. And we can’t blame the citizenry for the eventualities. These blunders can drag the whole nation into a mutually assured destruction in the process.

Another point raised by Anti-crime advocate Teresita Ang-See is that the country should have tolerated the execution of 3 Filipinos on death row, out of respect to the laws of China. Because the drug mules (and their families at that) knew that they were dealing with drug syndicates. Ms. Ang-See served as an interpreter for the Chinese authorities
who investigated the cases.

In these cases, our government should act fast and execute the people here who helped them leave the airport. As what Ms. Ang-See reported, that all 3 admitted during the case proceedings that they did not pass through the x-ray machines at the airport.

The above mentioned situations clearly indicate the need for public official’s accountability, from the highest to the lowest positions in government. Unless this administration do something about this, future mistakes might be too great that we will all be sorry soon.

Now that everything has been said and done, PNoy and all the Filipinos here and abroad, are held hostage (as how Ang-See put it) by the mistakes of the few irresponsible people.

Wake up, PNoy! Some people around you should not deceive the country by praise releases, that we are doing well in our diplomatic relations. We are not! The glaring truth is all over the media, here and abroad. The perceived solutions are pure rhetoric and its creating more problems.

Our diplomatic relations with Bejing and Washington must be handled by qualified diplomats and who understand very well the undercurrents that goes with it. There is no room for mistakes here, we had too much already.

This is not like a walk in the park, remember Mr. President, “kapag nalubak ka, buong bansa damay!”