Perception vs reality
Sergio Apostol again exhibits his abysmal ignorance of how a modern society is governed in dismissing a Social Weather Stations survey where 7 out of 10 respondents said they believe Gloria Arroyo is enriching herself through corrupt practices.Apostol says that’s just perception; reality is different. He sounds like one of those 70s New Age gurus talking pop philosophy by drawing a distinction between appearance and reality. But he doesn’t carry it off well. It clashes with our, uh, perception about Apostol, he of the multi-million allowances when he was ensconced in his sinecure as chairman of one of the subsidiaries of the Philippine National Oil Co.
We have, however, to give it to Apostol. That posting was his "consuelo de bobo" for not getting a Cabinet post in the Arroyo cabinet despite doing what he perceived as a yeoman’s job in prosecuting Joseph Estrada in the impeachment trial. Let’s not be uncharitable by saying the reality of his performance as prosecutor was something else.
Anyway, Apostol is now a member of a Cabinet as presidential legal adviser. With the exception of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Apostol is perceived – here we go with that fashionable word again – as the most rabid attack dog of Arroyo. If there’s justice in this world, he ought to be in line for the post of the ailing Gonzalez. Agnes Devanadera, however, seems to have the inner track to the justice portfolio.
Apostol, like Avis, should try harder by equipping himself with a less shopworn analytical tool than the appearance/reality distinction. He should, we suggest, start with trust, the principle that underpins relationships in a democratic society. All our waking moments, we implicitly trust that all others will abide by society’s norms. Trust gains even more importance when we are dealing with the relationship between the citizens their leaders.
When people start believing their leaders are talking from both sides of the mouth, then that relationship of trust starts fraying. When the discordance between appearance and reality – and word and action – becomes habitual and institutionalized, trust is irredeemably broken.
We are near that stage. Everybody believes the worst about Gloria. While we won’t say perception is reality, we cannot simply dismiss the never-ending scandals – the $330 million national broadband project is but the latest – that hound the Arroyo administration.
If we have any consolation, it’s the thought that Gloria will be exiting in 2010. We are looking forward to the day when good governance becomes the appearance and the reality.
