PEOPLE OF THE LIE RISING
Our country seems to be suffering from an epidemic of [malignant narcissism], and many of them have even attained leadership and power in many sectors, including governance, in the recent past.
In a book entitled People of
the Lie, psychiatrist and author Scott Peck wrote on what he termed “malignant narcissism,” which he considered a mental illness. People in this mental condition seemed to be centered on themselves, incapable of accepting blame for any wrong they may have caused, or are causing, are incapable of empathy, and tend to blame others for their “sins,” which Peck refers to as “scapegoating.” Such people, it seems, also tend to be vengeful and greedy. They are also characterized by a habit of lying, even to themselves. They are also skillful at projecting an illusion of caring about others, even of projecting love for constituents and neighbors.
Our country seems to be suffering from an epidemic of such personalities, and many of them have even attained leadership and power in many sectors, including governance, in the recent past. Their extraordinary skills at lying to us, and perhaps even to themselves, has enabled them to stay in power, or to regain such power, even after having been discredited publicly, following due process.
Today, prominent in our society are personalities of questionable character and motivations, or reputations. Joseph “Erap” Estrada whom we succeeded in impeaching from the presidency of our country and who was convicted of plunder now sits as reelected Mayor of Manila. Now he wants to destroy the historic Rizal Coliseum (to make way for yet another mall), which has provided service to many aspiring athletes, some of whom have brought honor to our country. He also wants to reclaim much of what remains of the lovely Roxas Boulevard. This is Erap Estrada, who almost caused the utter collapse of our Social Security System by instructing his drinking buddy Chuckie Arellano, whom he had appointed chair of this private sector pension fund to lend hundreds of millions of pesos to fund the merger of Equitable and PCIB which is said to have lent money to Dante Tan. During Erap’s term, the PNB, then a government bank is also said to have lent P600 million to Best World Resources headed by Dante Tan, Erap’s Chinoy business partner who promptly used it to manipulate the stock market, which also almost collapsed from the fraudulent siphoning off of private money.
His successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who hastily pardoned Erap even before he apologized or asked for pardon, now sits as Deputy Speaker of the House, following a hasty acquittal on graft charges by our discredited Supreme Court, majority of whom had been appointed by her when she was president. This is the Supreme Court which awarded Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco 20% share in the coco levy fund invested in San Miguel Corp. because “there was no evidence that Cojuangco was a Marcos crony.” Then President Arroyo, of “Hello Garci” notoriety is said to have feared loss of power from her questioned legitimacy as the elected president in 2004. Former President Arroyo, who wore a neck brace throughout her government sponsored confinement in her suite at the air-conditioned Veterans Memorial Hospital,
upon her return to Congress, had shed her martyr-look when she discarded her neck brace and wheelchair.
Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who during the EDSA People Power Revolution publicly admitted having cheated in the snap presidential elections of 1986 on behalf of Ferdinand Marcos, was released from detention on bail on “humanitarian grounds” for the non-bailable offense of plunder. In this case, the Supreme Court, the last bastion of justice in our country actually violated the law. A few days following his release, then Senator Enrile returned to the Senate, looking healthy enough for his age, and apparently with his mental faculties intact.
Today, a former police officer, Retired SPO3 Arthur Lascañas of Davao has finally corroborated the revelations during Senate hearings about the Davao Death Squad (DDS) by Edgardo Matobato, a confessed former member and gun for hire of the DDS. This police officer, whom Matobato had pointed to as his immediate superior in the DDS had earlier refuted at the Senate hearings Matobato’s stories about the DDS, claiming there was no such group. How will former Davao Mayor, now President Rodrigo Duterte deal with Lascañas’ turnaround, including his corroboration of Matobato’s allegation that Duterte had himself personally shot at close range and killed one of their targets?
The NBI has already filed drug trafficking charges against Senator Leila de Lima, who had encountered the ire of then Mayor and now President Duterte for her revelations on the Davao Death Squad when she was Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights. The instruments of justice and law enforcement seem to have been mobilized in this undertaking to destroy the reputation and trample on the human rights of Senator De Lima. Is this perhaps vengefulness? The key witnesses in the case against the Senator are convicts accused of being multi-million or even –billion peso drug lords operating from Bilibid prisons. They are now in more cushy quarters at the NBI detention facilities. What benefits are they trading their testimonies for? These are convicted criminals. Are they to be believed as witnesses?
Now, Jose Calida, the Solicitor General or lawyer for the Philippine government has announced plans to turn the detained Janet Lim Napoles into a state witness! This, after her own terrified employees had testified and submitted documents regarding her fraudulent schemes to access government funds ( the PDAF) in cooperation with corrupt politicians and fraudulent NGOs, much of which did not actually provide goods and services to their supposed beneficiaries. Most of these alleged beneficiaries were the needy, and the poor victims of calamities. It is obvious from the testimonies and documents submitted by her own employees and relative Ben Hur Luy that Janet Napoles is actually the mastermind of the whole PDAF thieving schemes. How can she be turned into a state witness? She has been exposed as a thief and a brazen liar and forger! Calida, who has reportedy referred to himself as the 16th Supreme Court Justice has also claimed that he will soon succeed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales.
Now, there are revelations about the killing in year 2003 of broadcaster Juan “Jun” Pala of Davao which implicates no less than President Duterte, who has always maintained his innocence in this case, as well as on the existence of the Davao Death Squad when he was Davao City Mayor. Former Police Officer Lascañas has openly admitted receiving P3 million for the killing which he shared with his killer team.
Rumors are rife that Bongbong Marcos could succeed in ousting Leni Robredo from the vice-presidency if they succeed in ousting Andres Bautista (former PCGG chief ) as Comelec chair. It seems also possible that Marcos, Jr. could become secretary of Interior and Local Government at the end of the one year prohibition on appointment to government posts of defeated candidates. This puts Bongbong Marcos, who once claimed to have graduated from Wharton (untrue) and earlier, even Oxford (also not true) in charge of the Philippine National Police and local governments. Marcos Junior also claims not to know anything about the hidden wealth of the Marcos family. This claim is belied in a book ( Endless Journey) by Retired Col. Jose Almonte in which he narrates the participation of Bongbong Marcos in linking him (Almonte) and maverick banker Michael de Guzman to the Swiss contact for the Marcos bank accounts.
The “malignant narcissism” epidemic goes beyond our shores. The USA seems to have elected a brazen liar, Donald Trump, to the Presidency of the most powerful nation on earth. Trump has publicly claimed drawing larger crowds at his inauguration than Barack Obama did at his, despite aerial photographs that reveal the contrary. He also claims that he “inherited a mess” from his predecessor, despite public statistics on economic growth and employment during Barack Obama’s presidency disclosing the contrary.
As a young man, son of an old friend once said to her “What is happening to our country? What is happening to our world?”
When are we going to express our outrage loudly enough to make a difference? What will happen to our children and theirs, if more and more People of the Lie become our leaders? Is this blurring of contrast between truth and falsehood, and right vs. wrong becoming the new normal? Thank God for heroic lawyers like Jose Manuel Diokno and Arno Sanidad of FLAG who are helping the contrite Arthur Lascañas. And bravo to the thousands who joined the Church leaders’ recent rally against the death penalty and extrajudicial killings. It gives us hope.