“For
good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument,
debate.” Margaret Heffernan
By
Alex P. Vidal
AS
long as it is job-related, we have no problem watching flyweight contenders
Plaridel Nava and R Leone Gerochi squaring off and transforming the session
hall of the Iloilo Sangguniang Panlungsod into a boxing arena.
It’s
a big relief though that both city councilors canceled the bout when proverbial
coolers heads intervened.
Nava
has clarified that his “one-on-one” dare to Gerochi was for a debate and not
for a physical engagement.
Even
if it was for a physical duel, for sure Nava and Gerochi, both lawyers, did not
mean to swap blows because of personal enmity.
They
disputed Gerochi’s request for a copy of Nava’s committee report on the recent
1st Muti-sectoral Transportation Summit.
Nava
resented Gerochi's actuation as they both belong in a bloc called "Voltes
5" which supposedly had a tacit agreement not to badger a member who is
making a speech.
The
bone of contention was still related to public service.
The
paramount concern of our elected officials is public service.
Therefore,
the would-be non-title setto was for exhibition only, an offshoot of a boiling
blood and hot temper.
Wala
personalan. Obra lang. (No personal feud. It’s all work-related.)
Quarreling
or engaging in fisticuffs is not an earth-shaking scenario among members of the
legislative body.
HEALTHY
In
fact, it’s a healthy sign in a democratic institution.
As
long as it is not violent and not intended to terrorize people, rational
argument should be a perfect venue to ventilate disagreement and grievances.
Even
before the age of Youtube, social media and “selfie” technology, we have seen
so many violent fracases “live” on TV involving senior state legislators in
Taiwan, Turkey, Italy, Japan, Yugoslavia, Greece and other highly
industrialized countries.
Fistfights
among legislators in these countries would even last for three to five minutes
and the melee even involved party mates who joined the fray from the balcony.
In
democracy, every individual has the right to agree and disagree and translate
the debate into a “one-on-one” brawl if necessary but not mandatory.
Sessions
can sometimes be emotional and as tempers flare up, a free-for-all rumble
becomes inevitable among the hot heads.
After
the negative emotions have been emptied and energies zapped, the protagonists
are soon back to normal lives; they shake hands, “bury the hatchet, and let
bygones be bygones.”
STATE
In
a fascist or communist state, there is nothing to dispute because there are no
legislatures in the first place.
It’s
a one-man rule.
In
a fascist regime like that of Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito
Mussolini, there are no committee reports for the legislators as the latter
don’t exist.
In
communist rules, Russia’s Josef Stalin and Cuba’s Fidel Castro called the shots
and shot the opposition dead. Democracy is dead, too.
Hitler,
Mussolini, Stalin and Castro were the heads of their governments as dictators.
No
national assembly.
No
debate. No freedom to express. No free speech.
No
democratic check and balance.
-o0o-
WE
smell politics in the decision of Dumangas municipal councilors Jasmin Ocampo,
Rene Dela Peña, Almar Marfito, Bert Celeste and Ronaldo Golez not to approve
the resolution endorsing the issuance of a development permit to the National
Housing Authority’s (NHA) resettlement project here for residents displaced by
super typhoon “Yolanda” or Haiyan during their regular session on February 18.
The
five are known political enemies of Mayor Rolando “Rolly” Distura, thus some
people suspect politics was behind their lackadaisical attitude.
Distura
said the NHA will be building over 7,000 housing units totaling around P2.1
billion.
But
Golez, who lost to Distura for mayor in the recent local elections, insisted
“they wanted more time to scrutinize” the housing project.
While
they were dilly-dallying the resolution, some 1,000 irate housing project
beneficiaries were getting restless outside the municipal hall.
The
beneficiaries, mostly residents of identified danger zones in Dumangas areas
frequently flooded such as river banks and low-laying areas, didn’t care about
the political bickering among municipal officials.
They
wanted a decent housing and safe environment. That’s all.
They
didn’t want to be caught in the middle of the conflict between Distura and the
opposition municipal councilors.
We
hope warring Dumangas officials will set aside their animosity first for the
good of the people.
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