BATTLING NARCO-POLITICS

There wasn't much fanfare that attended the Archdiocese of Cebu's release
of a pastoral statement against narco-politics after all, leaders of the
Catholic Church are not expected to act like politicians when doing things.

But the lack of bombast does not mean the issue tackled is not important.
For the threat of narco-politics is as real as the other forms of social
problems that have been bedeviling Philippine society for sometime now.

And while the timing of the release of the pastoral statement was a bit
late, its presentation at this stage can still provide some enlightenment
for voters in the coming Sangguniang Kabataan and barangay elections.

Indeed, if the battle against narco-politics the seepage into governance of
the hold of the illegal drugs trade were to be effective, it must be waged
in such a basic unit as the barangays.

This is because it is in the barangays where the biggest consumers of
illegal drugs are and where much of the transactions of the trade are
played out. Controlling these areas is therefore important.

Those who are saying that narco-politics is non-existent in this country as
of the moment must be referring to the level of, say, the municipalities,
cities, provinces and the country where its presence is not that visible as
yet.

But the continued proliferation of the illegal drugs trade, and the failure
of law enforcement agents to arrest the menace, would tend to show that
narco-politics has become real at least in the barangay level.

Some barangay officials must either be in the trade or are in cahoots with
drug pushers as shown by their failure to eradicate the problem in their
areas of responsibility. True, there is the fear factor, but it must be
minimal.

Thus, it would be good if the Archdiocese of Cebu would not stop at the
pastoral statement level but continue the voter education process.

But it should not be left on its own. Meaning, the pastoral statement
should start off a multi-sectoral movement that would wage a protracted
battle against this particular problem.

Messy Acts

The Arroyo administration seems to be shooting its own foot in the recent
controversies it has gotten into. With just two messy acts, it succeeded in
stirring the pot of unrest again.

One was the unceremonious relief of seven top officials of the Philippine
National Police (PNP). The other was the bungling of the plan to ease out
Vice President Teofisto Guingona from the post of foreign affairs secretary.

The first sparked demoralization in the PNP, claims by Malacanang that it
is not happening notwithstanding. Some police and military groups and their
allies have already released statements criticizing the relief.

The second controversy, meanwhile, widened the rift between Guingona and
President Arroyo, who both belong to the same group. Thus, factionalism has
become real within the administration party.

The President may not admit it, but it is clear that in just the second
year of her rule, her strength has already been sapped by her failure to
hold on to a big chunk of the coalition that catapulted her to power.