WHEN the POGO raids and committee hearings started more than a month ago, the public was initially disinterested. Well, it didn’t take long for news freaks to take to social media, Facebook, YouTube for the sleazy, juicy bits from vloggers. All hell broke loose when some members of the House of Representatives fell over themselves to take the limelight to launch their respective “investigation in aid of legislation”.

The scramble for publicity later dawned on the four chairmen of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts that their separate investigations, addressing four different agenda risked the image of the institution as mere source of publicity stunts.

As Rep. Robert Ace Barbers put it succinctly: “The four committees are investigating issues that are interrelated, interconnected and intertwined….and the daunting task of the quad committee  is to continue in a unified and stronger front what the individual committees have started, in the hope of crafting legislative solutions we well as help in the prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators, conspirators and masterminds of the whole criminal network.”

All four chairmen spoke of “ferreting out the truth, identifying the perpetrators, and holding them accountable.” But nothing was said about the need to be respectful, unbiased and impartial in accomplishing their mission.

So, they went about their tasks completely disrespectful, viewed their resource persons with disdain and contempt, asking questions insinuating their guilt with hardly any proven evidence, twisting stated facts of resource persons. Most started and ended their questions with snide remarks describing the responses of their resource persons.

“Hwag kang magpa-cute,” came the reaction of one congressman to the primary resource person, Cassandara Ong who apologized when called out for not allowing the congressman to finish his question. She was also called a liar to her face.

Still others quickly imputed malice into AR dela Cerna’s candid admission having had a million-peso joint bank account with Atty. Harry Roque even after it was clearly pointed out that it was during past election to manage campaign expenses.  Even his being alalay (‘man-Friday’) became a juicy subject.  The hearings have virtually become a contest of sorts among them on who were more calculating and bold in questions and statements as investigator, prosecutor and judge. Listening to them, it was about who was the rudest and most stupid.

Thankfully, not one of Pangasinan’s representatives joined the fray. They are honorable.

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