Today’s “Crisis” Needs The “Sunshine Patriots” and “Summer Soldiers” To Become Bricklayers

“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”


The above are the first two sentences from Thomas Paine’s first essay “The Crisis” published on December 23, 1776. It so inspired George Washington that he had criers spread out to as far as they could and read it to all the American revolutionary troops. It helped strengthen the resolve of the Colonies to fight for independence from the British.

Facing the seemingly insurmountable challenges laid at his feet when he assumed the presidency last June 30th, President Benigno Aquino III cannot be faulted for perhaps feeling that indeed his very soul is being tried and tested. It is clear that he needs all the help he can get. It is, therefore, no time for “sunshine patriots” nor “summer soldiers”.

Those who luxuriated in the euphoria of P. Noy’s victory last May must now buckle down to help him carry out the program he promised the nation in the last campaign. Those appointed to cabinet posts and other positions in government must truly get in sync with the values of honesty and transparency articulated by P. Noy at his inaugural address. And perhaps, just as important, they need to demonstrate an ability to institute policies and programs that effectively solve the country’s many problems.

For President Aquino to be effective and successful he must continue to enjoy the trust and confidence of the Filipino nation and this is most enhanced when the people he has appointed to positions of power and influence operate with integrity and perform their duties to the utmost levels of efficiency possible.

There is another group of people who need to take heed and do some soul searching: those who were late term appointees of ex- president Arroyo. They need to ask themselves, first, if they are indeed qualified for the positions to which they were appointed. Second, understanding that there is a new president in place, are they prepared to fully and faithfully adhere to the standards for honesty that P.Noy has outlined? Or were they merely appointed to their positions as a reward for their pasts “service” to the Arroyos? They must ask if they are in their positions now to serve as minions in the Arroyo “rear guard” plot to help frustrate any efforts at holding the past president and her family accountable for alleged crimes of wanton graft and plunder. And if this so then they need to do the right and honorable thing and relinquish their positions so that President Aquino is able to appoint people he trusts will do the jobs to his expectations.

This is most especially true of Renato C. Corona, appointed by Arroyo to the post of chief justice of the Supreme Court a mere few days before the end of her term. In his role as head of the country’s highest judicial body he is in a position to impede and mitigate legal actions that might tend to adversely affect the person who appointed him to his lofty post. Here the matter of delicadeza, at the very least, is at play. But more than that, it is important for the country to not have any doubts that the high court will act with true justice and not serve as the “shield of last resort” for the Arroyo crowd. This is especially critical when one considers the fact that the other 14 justices of the Supreme Court also owe their jobs to ex-president Arroyo. By resigning his post and affording the new president the opportunity to appoint a chief justice not beholden to the Arroyos, our Mr. Corona would be doing his country a great service; by voluntarily relinquishing his post he would then deserve the image he wants the country to have of him as a man of integrity and honor.

Those who voted for President Aquino with the expectation that he will usher in an era of clean and effective government must understand that their support for the president’s programs and policies is perhaps even more crucial now. They must be wary of the capacity of those who benefited from a corrupt structure to try and cling to their gains and undermine any efforts to transform our government and society. And for those who did not vote for him it is important to recognize that an honest, transparent and effective government benefits all of us.

It is time for the “sunshine patriots” and “summer soldiers” to transform themselves into the ditch diggers and bricklayers that will, it is hoped, build that edifice that will survive the chilling onslaughts of the cruel winters of graft, corruption and political obstructionism that will surely come to try and test the nation’s soul.

ldq44@aol.com