Secretary Gonzales' Big Mouth

Secretary Gonzales is at again. GMA's court jester can't help keep his deepest obsessive compulsion to run out of his seemless tireless mouth. I think he has this predestined burden of responsibility to be always have the media's attention and that is why he needs to pick a fight with anyone in random who is in his boss' critics. And the lucky Gonzalesean flavor of the month? The University of the Philippines.

From INQ7.com: "This time, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has picked on the University of the Philippines school system, saying it mainly produces militant protesters and fraternity men and women who run around the campus naked. " (to view the rest of the article, click here.)

Personally, I can't blame him for this. Raul Gonzales is first and mostly, a politician; a very shrewd and a giant political operative at that , if you ask me. He knows the golden rule of politics: "Offense is the best defense." He knows that UP is one of the biggest thorns on his boss' side. He also knows that UP was a constant thorn to anyone who held Malacañang. Not that people from UP knows how to run this country better, but they know that they have the historical responsibility to be in the forefront of any battle that puts ordinary people on the losing side of the fence (who obviously pays for their tuition fees, and not the government which Gonzales preaches).

However, I think that Gonzales has grossly underestimated his appointed bitch-of-the-moment. Don't blame him though, he made a very brave move. Nobody in this Republic's history who has a sane mind, locked horns with this country's premier university. Yes, a brave move, but he might as well be writing his own political obituary.

It's not because UP is untouchable. UP, had it's share of shady characters from time to time that permeated the society (His boss, for one, got her PhD for economics in this university). The reason why Gonzales made the mistake of picking on UP is that because UP was on the right side of the debate. Up to now, his boss wasn't able to clear up her "victory" in the previous polls and the numerous killings made by Gen. Palparan and his merry men were not given light and justice. All should have been well if they have gathered all their balls and faced the inquisition and come out clean instead of hiding inside the skirt of a big word called "technicality."

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who will guard the guards? This is how history ordained UP. It could have been any other institution. But history ordained UP this responsibility since the Martial Law. However, UP does not wish to keep the responsibility for themselves, in fact, they want all the others to share this responsibility. UP has lent its halls for symposiums , its bastions for mass actions, and its people for voices so that the public may know. UP does not claim a monopoly for truth either, that is why it's inviting everyone for debates and forums and fights for constitutional exercises like the impeachment not to be derailed, so that the truth, whatever it is, will get out and will ultimately set us all free.

What Sec. Gonzales did was a textbook move from the Art of War. It is expected of him and noble to be the first one to put the shots. However, as history teaches, UP never backed out from any fight nor any war. It is a war for the truth. Sec. Gonzales sure does need to check which side he is on.