NTC should be chastened
THE National Transformation Council (NTC), in its Facebook page, has insisted that Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal is one with the group in demanding for the resignation of President Noynoy Aquino.
This after the cardinal's secretary, Fr. Joseph de Aquino, issued a clarification on the controversial Feb. 13 incident wherein the cardinal read an NTC statement flanked by some NTC members. Vidal, according to de Aquino, said the content of the statement was not his personal stand on the matter.
In response, NTC came up with additional information on the Feb. 13 gathering, earlier reported as a post-birthday party for the cardinal, portraying it as a group affair and Vidal as active participant:
“On Feb. 13, about 99 percent of the guests of Cardinal Vidal at his home were members of the National Transformation Council (NTC). They had a mass, ate a sumptuous meal, had a press conference amply attended by media people, and conducted a high-level NTC meeting right there at the cardinal's office, all in all lasting for about 5 to 6 hours."
It's unfortunate that Vidal no longer wants to be interviewed on the matter, preferring to have de Aquino speak on his behalf. But this is understandable considering his health issues. It surely is not good for him to be embroiled in a controversy like this one.
Whether the cardinal played along or actually believes in the NTC's cause is something that still needs to be established. What is clear, however, is that the NTC is using the cardinal's name and attempted to do it to Archbishop Jose Palma, too.
Having said that, the NTC should be chastened by de Aquino's clarification and the statements issued by the Cebu Archdiocese and Archbishop Palma, who said he does not share the group's call.
The NTC can clarify what happened on Feb. 13, but much has changed after that. The next time the group's leaders come here, the setup would be different.
There will already be some sectors who, following the controversy, would consider the NTC as a group that has no qualms about manipulating people and situations to advance its goals.