President Ramos deserves an impartial hearing

President Fidel V. Ramos said recently that he feels like a punching bag. Everyone seems to be taking pot shots at him. For his consolation, it is better to be a punching bag than to be left holding the bag. It is true that many people have been jumping on Ramos lately. But what they are questioning are his official actuations when he was president. He should welcome the opportunity to air his side. All we hope is that the issues he has to face will be decided impartially according to law. A president can make a mistake in his decisions. But he is not responsible for any mistaken judgment if he acted in good faith. That is the bottom line. And if he made a mistake in judgment, he should be man enough to admit it.

Rep. Crispin Beltran has charged Ramos of having abused the emergency powers given him by Congress by entering into an "anomalous contracts with independent power producers without proper bidding an authority." This was a charge that has been published in the press and President Ramos should air his side.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, on the other hand, has blamed three former presidents for the current high cost of energy – Presidents Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The important thing is not to make charges, but to substantiate them. At the moment, the people are very upset – over the high cost of power and the periodic blackouts. But that is a problem that cannot be solved by pinpointing who are to blame. It has to start by determining its cause.

We are all for conducting impartial and fair hearings. First, we must establish the facts. Then and only then can we find the solutions to our problems. If indeed, they were caused by corruption then, we should prosecute all those responsible. Undoubtedly, we are paying very high electricity rates – the highest next to Japan. The thing to do is to find out why?

There is nothing wrong in people asking for a fair investigation. And people in government should welcome all opportunities to explain their decisions. The truth must always prevail.