EDITORIAL - Soc in the hot seat

Anytime today, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez would probably find himself inside the Saint Joseph Parish Church in Tabunok to ponder what went wrong during the past days when his beloved son, Joavan, grabbed headlines in his latest brushes with the law.

The stint at the church would probably include stroking any available icons of saints standing inside to seek for divine guidance on how to deal with Joavan's latest caper.

This time, however, Fernandez, a Catholic faith defender, would probably double his effort in his prayer for heavenly intervention that would lead, if not shove, the wayward Joavan to the right path.

Religiously, Fernandez has perfectly done his part in his effort to straighten Joavan's life. But there seems to be something amiss in the way he treated his son as far as the public scrutiny is concerned. And that is due to his being over protective of Joavan every time his son is involved in a controversy.

When Joavan was reported to be brandishing a gun on several occasions, Fernandez quickly came to his defense, saying that his son only carries a "toy gun." Although a police raid on Joavan proved to be negative, some lashed out at Talisay City police for their delay in serving the search warrant.

 But what made the incident more controversial was Fernandez's appearance at Joavan's house during the raid. The mayor reportedly questioned the presence of the police but later backed off when being showed a copy of the search warrant, which was issued by Judge Soliver Peras of Regional Trial Court Branch 10.

 Fernandez cannot escape the public opinion that he is being too protective of his controversial son. While it is understandable that being a father he has to be compassionate towards his son, Fernandez should also have moral obligation not to meddle in any investigation by authorities on his son.

We should not forget that Fernandez is the most powerful man in Talisay City. And for that his office has infinite influence on the police investigation into controversies involving Joavan even if he is not lifting a finger to step into the cases that his son is facing. 

If Fernandez is really sincere in his effort for Joavan to reform, he should leave the authorities do their work, even if it would mean eventual jail term for his son.