Internet power

Nowadays especially among the youth, information can be passed on with lightning speed, easily spreading like wildfire all over the world through Internet power. Blogging in particular has been such a powerful tool of communication, with people sharing ideas and exchanging stories even if they are located on the opposite ends of the globe. A clear example is the blog entry of 18-year-old Bambee dela Paz detailing the beating incident involving her father and brother versus the family of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo. Barely a day after her post, the blog drew hundreds of sympathetic responses all over the world from Filipinos and foreigners alike, expressing dismay, shock, disgust and anger over the incident.

Emotions are naturally high on both sides, with each party claiming they were the victims and not the ones who started the altercation. In fact, another female blogger posted the “other side” of the story but a lot of cynics say that was done to counter the overwhelming tide of condemnation directed against the Pangandamans as a result of Bambee’s blog. Unfortunately for the DAR secretary, brawls and similar incidents involving high ranking public officials tend to generate more interest from the public.

According to reports, Pangandaman’s son and namesake Nasser Jr., who is also the mayor of a town in Lanao del Sur, hurled invectives at 56-year-old Delfin dela Paz and his 14-year-old son Bino, punching and kicking while shouting, “Hindi nyo ba ako kilala? (Don’t you know who I am?)” It that was true, then it was indeed a clear case of “arrogance of power.”

It is said that when you are truly powerful and wealthy, you don’t strut around telling people about it; you just let it radiate naturally. Because the minute you start feeling compelled to tell others how powerful or wealthy you are, that’s when people start looking at you as someone no better than the nouveau riche, the classic “langaw na nakatuntong sa kalabaw” (a fly who thinks he is more powerful than the carabao itself). As they say, respect is earned; it is not something you expect or impose on people regardless of your wealth, or no matter how fancy your title may be.

Public officials should especially be careful about the way they behave in public because their actions are being closely watched, and the minute they make a misstep, the news can spread easily across the country through text and reported all over the world through the Internet.

Those familiar with the word “hubris” (exaggerated arrogance of power) know that the Greeks consider this a tragic flaw which could result in one’s downfall. As the saying goes, arrogance of power comes before a fall. Politicians and government officials, whether appointed or elected to their positions, should remember that ultimately, they will be made accountable by the people — especially in this day and age of information technology when Internet power and other communication tools make it difficult to hide any wrongdoing.

Another controversy that is being closely watched via the Net and passed on through text messages is the alleged P50-million bribe to Department of Justice officials for the dismissal of the case against the three “Alabang boys” who were caught last September selling drugs to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives posing as buyers. Even before the alleged DOJ bribe came out, there were already reports that the families of the three suspects tried using their influence to “fix authorities,” and even offered P20 million to some PDEA officials for their release.

If the people who are supposed to be watching druggies and putting them behind bars are the very ones responsible for putting them back on the streets, then this is really a matter of serious concern. According to sources, there have already been several instances when cases against drug suspects were allegedly dismissed by DOJ prosecutors despite very strong evidence.

A lot of young people have died because of drug abuse, with reports that close to 80 percent of heinous crimes such as rape and murder involved the use of illegal drugs. Let’s not forget that in May last year, the PDEA made a major bust - 770 kilos of shabu worth P4.6 billion - at the Subic Freeport Zone, tagged as a transshipment point of drugs from several countries in Asia. Time and again, the US International Narcotics Control and Strategy Report (INCSR), had underscored that the Philippines is a narcotics source and transshipment country, with porous borders and “unpatrolled and sparsely inhabited” coasts that make it easy for drug traffickers to ply their trade.  

These two separate incidents about a government official’s alleged arrogant display of power and the P50-million bribery attempt to DOJ prosecutors must be given special attention by GMA. Showing that she will not tolerate any wrongdoing by Cabinet officials will go a long way in boosting her credibility and perhaps may even improve her popularity ratings.

As head of the Dangerous Drugs Board and this country’s “drug czar,” Tito Sotto should be given full support in fighting the drug menace. The use and trafficking of illegal drugs is an international crime, and it has cost the lives of many young people. And if the accounts implicating the culpability of Secretary Pangandaman in the Antipolo golf incident is true, then I couldn’t agree more with Billy Esposo that GMA should get rid of this guy. She certainly does not need another controversial Cabinet secretary hanging on her neck.

Like in most countries, there should be zero tolerance for drugs, and zero tolerance for government officials who abuse their positions and blatantly display the “arrogance of power.”

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