EDITORIAL - A good idea with hidden risks

The concept of a people's initiative is good. If public welfare continuously falls by the wayside due to the apathy of those in power, or worse, their predisposition to think only of their own interests, then the people have the right to take matters into their own hands by enacting appropriate measures for their benefit.

This concept is enshrined in our Constitution, although it has never been previously tested and tried. But that may soon be about to change as there is now an initiative, spearheaded by a former chief justice, to test and try the concept and see if it works.

There is no doubt about the initiative's capacity to draw adherents. Many Filipinos have become so fed up about so many things, particularly about the way they are being led by their leaders, that they just might be tempted to embrace the concept.

As said at the outset, the concept is good. After all, the authority of government emanates from the people, and what more direct way of exercising that authority than by a direct hand of the people in crafting their own laws.

But as good as the concept may seem, there is also something to fear about it, and it is not just a fear born out of its novelty. Indeed, the greater fear lies in the valid and serious doubts about the capacity of Filipinos to handle such a direct assumption of authority and power.

Lest we forget, Filipinos are very notorious for their inability to stop once they get going. Remember how glorious it was to topple a president in 1986? But do we remember how disastrous it eventually became when every perceived failing in a government almost always resulted in attempts to remove a president?

Look at how fixated we had been about the first impeachment, and how the "I" word has become an idea to be toyed ever since. Even in things far removed from politics -- as how the first lechon manok has now become a fixture in every street corner -- the Filipino always pushes the envelope to satiation.

But good if satiation is the only ultimate destination. What if it is self-destruction? A people's initiative may only look appealing now because we have been so scandalized by the pork barrel. But what if we embark on a people's initiative for or against anything and everything that catches our fancy?