Editorial

Sorry circus

Anybody who thinks the public will ever get to know the whole truth behind the scandal involving three wealthy young adults and their families, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Justice Department is hallucinating.

In fact, the hearings now being conducted at the House of Representatives don?t serve any other purpose than confirming what the people have always known: Some public officials don?t think much of putting their jobs and names in peril until they actually find themselves on the spot.

And when they do, they panic. They defend themselves vigorously and become more visible in the media, disputing each other?s words and arguing during the hearings?never mind if the rest of their work gathers dust on their desks.

The plot thickens. The other day, the lawyer for one of the suspects admitted he actually drafted the release order?on Justice Department stationery. And yesterday a cousin of yet another suspect said his relative was indeed pushing drugs.

The allegations, counter-allegations, defenses, outbursts and exchanges make for a compelling saga. Sadly, however, all these are in danger of remaining in the realm of entertainment?until a new issue comes up: another scandal, a calamity, a sports victory.

And then this, like the countless scandals that have gripped the nation but have been later on forgotten, would remain unresolved as the evils of drug use and bribery remain rampant.

In this callous culture, it may be too much to ask the public servants involved to leave their posts as they struggle to defend their names or assert their claims. But we ask it anyway.