EDITORIAL - Short order

National orders of merit, such as the Order of Lakandula, are up to the president of the republic to bestow on anyone he or she may deem worthy of the honor. Maybe it's time the power to bestow that honor be given to an independent body capable of doing justice to the task.

That is because President Arroyo appears to be missing the point in the way she has been giving away orders of merit. The way it looks to some people, she is trifling with the intent for which orders of merit were created in the first place.

A few days ago, Filipino professional pool player Ronato Alcano won the World Pool Championship in Manila. There is no argument his feat is something Filipinos ought to be very proud of. Even this paper bannered the story on its front page.

But for President Arroyo to bestow the Order of Lakandula on Alcano for winning the World Pool Championship is plainly not justified. Her giving Alcano an extra P1 million to add to his winnings should have been more than sufficient to express the happiness of a nation.

This is not intended to demean the fine sport of pool nor to cast aspersions on the fine men and women who play the game all over the world. But winning a pool championship, even a world championship, just does not deserve the bestowal of an order of merit.

Orders of merit in other countries occupy the highest pinnacles of honor. Many countries even consider such orders to be sacred. Often, their bestowal follows no less than a lifetime of dedication to a particular endeavor for which a country and its people have been made proud.

Many of these countries for which orders of merit are held in the highest esteem also have their own fair share of sporting greats. But except for a very few whose feats were truly exemplary and spectacular, almost none ever got to be awarded with orders of merit.

Here, however, we have a president who has little regard for things most people consider sacred. Why, she switches holidays around like they were pieces on a chess board. To her, orders of merit are but just another opportunity to share in the five minutes of glory of others.