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Forgive me if I’m not exactly jumping for joy over the latest stunt of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia. As you may have realized by now, I haven’t even bothered to write about it even after a few days the news broke-out. I just had the urge to give you a piece of my mind after that fateful Wednesday morning when all hopes for a case were quashed in an instant. It’s so fast, not to mention gruesome.

It doesn’t look any valiant to me that he finally have the time of day to implicate his former boss PGMA to which he has been a staunch supporter and ally for seven years or so. I mean, come on. What do you want us to feel, really? Do want us to fall on his feet and adore him because of his sudden change of heart? If anything, his confession only revealed the glaring truth that has been staring us all in the face all these glorious years — that he was, in fact as corrupt as, if not worse than all the other public officials featured in exposes et cetera et cetera. And while the law is pretty lenient with state witnesses providing them some sort of immunity just for “talking”, that sort of scheme does not sit well with my perception of justice. Squealing, even within the context of a belated “remorse”, done after much thought and introspection, to my mind, do not in any way in some stroke of a magic wand, magically cleanses and acquits the whistle-blower.

Think about it. If that’s the case, then we can all dip our toes into that cursed and abominable pool of corruption, wallow in it for a while and bask in the confidence of a second chance, to eventually clear our conscience by simply naming names of those who swam with us in this pool. And as a bonus for that good deed, albeit belated, people will consider that as enough atonement for our disgusting sin. But wait, there’s more! You also get to play “hero” for a while. Loved by everyone for such valiant display of courage! Wow.

My dear friends, let us pause for a while and let these events of late sink in.

The impeachment attempt is as dead as it has been feared from the start. 183 vs. 21? Reality is harsh. It is indeed a numbers game, and we knew that right from the start. Part of the reason why it failed, as I see it, is JDV’s persona. The image he brings to the table isn’t charismatic enough to arouse nationalism in the rest the representatives whose hearts belong to their one true love — their positions. A photo? Is that all you can show? No wonder it was dismissed for lack of substance. The evidence must be concrete. And after all those years, haven’t you been wise enough to keep other souvenir of sorts aside from a photo? It just wouldn’t cut it, and we knew that right from the start.

So now, we sit and wait. They’re already toying with the idea of a Cha-Cha, and moves here and there are indicative that a term extension isn’t far from happening. The future is gloomy. The few righteous people in power are tired. The citizenry have grown indifferent. I’m no prophet, but I guess it doesn’t take one to realize that the road ahead is rough. So folks, brace yourselves.

Suggested Further Reading:

• Not The Children
• The Reality of Poverty
• The SONA: My Sentiments
• Typhoon Ondoy Helplines: Who You Gonna Call?
• Going for tried, getting tired