Abp. Oscar. V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
SPECIALLY this past summer, it was a repeated event, a frequent sight, a regular news item: Burning of houses and destruction of belongings, not to mention pitiful cries of people heard and a number of lives lost even. Gas leaks, bad electric connections, candles left burning and the like—such were the usual causes of such family loses and neighborhood disasters. But nothing really extraordinary was done by big-time public officials on the occasion of such big and repeated devastating phenomena. They were looked upon as but common occurrences, standard events that came about fast and likewise fast forgotten.
The usual response and customary reaction to such human miseries are the exactly the same and predictable. Some firemen come with their big trucks and a lot of fire hose—but little water. Women and children are seen crying and running around—without really knowing whom to call and where to go. Some men are noticed carrying some of their little family belongings, without being certain where to run to and what to do next. When a devastating fire is over after a couple of hours, there are the usual groups of charitable people that come with their donations of some food, used clothing, and the like.
During such occasions, though not always, there could this or that local public official who would make his appearance—such as the Barangay Captain—
in order to show himself in public, to shake the hands of the fire victims, express his sympathy to them and that’s it. The explosions and destructions come to pass. The burning of houses and properties is forgotten. The loss of lives and limbs become “yesterday’s news.”
But lo and behold! There was but one explosion in a place of the wealthy and the famous. There was but one condo unit that was destroyed. Yet, lo and behold, nobody less than the President of the Philippines went to the site in order to see for himself what took place. Why? And there came also the elite government investigative agencies—with their well trained canine brigade—to inspect the place diligently and intensely and from top to bottom. Why? And weeks even went by in order to ascertain what, when, and how the explosion took place. Why?
There must be a pretty good and interesting reason for such a big and lasting preoccupation under the baton of the Commander-in-Chief himself—with all personnel resources and their costs at his command. What? He must have a big personal interest and preoccupation about the matter. What? There must be something in that specific condo unit blast that worried and disturbed him much. What?
Question, questions, and more questions.
