Why sobriety is indispensable

Among the many things that a leader, such as a city mayor, must be is a paragon of sobriety. In the midst of chaos, there has to be one who needs to stand out as a pillar of strength, a beacon of hope, a source of inspiration, and a mother lode of clear thinking. When so much hangs on the shoulder of one man, such a man must be able to keep his poise and composure, even if in fact his knees are starting to melt.

It would, therefore, provide Cebuanos a great deal of reassurance if their mayor exhibits the foregoing traits. They do not, for example, need him to knee-jerk his way into the public consciousness over matters that are sensitive to the general order, such as the ongoing controversy over the death of an 11-year-old girl to apparent physical violence, allegedly in the hands of the police.

Without much verification, some sectors in the media quickly pounced and feasted on the story, with the mayor among those who gorged himself on it. He wants all members of the whole police precinct where the girl and the other children who were rounded up were taken promptly relieved, including the chief who, it is being alleged, had a hand in the incident.

Statements such as these are reckless, unfair and uncalled for. And coming from an official who ought to be a leader for all, it can be highly demoralizing, especially in light of the fact that new twists and angles to the story have started to emerge, twists and angles that now tend to take the story, and the blame, away from the police and toward a new direction that seems to lead closer to home.

But even if the mayor does not go ahead with his desire to relieve the entire membership of the precinct, and the real culprit or culprits have been unmasked, the damage shall have been done which no measure of correction or apology can ever set aright to the original state of things. And that is very unfortunate because both the mayor and the police, as well as the public in general, are clear on the same side.

This is not intended to help exculpate the police. If, upon further investigation, they are found to be liable, then the law must be allowed to take its course so that justice may prevail. All we are saying is that the incident should have been handled more soberly to avoid unnecessary conclusions to be made before all the facts have been secured and brought in.

It is common knowledge that children, because they are shielded from prosecution by law because of their age, are now being used by syndicates to operate as petty thieves and snatchers. The police precinct in question has had remarkable success in stifling the operation of these syndicates within its jurisdiction and it would not come as a surprise if these syndicates mount a coordinate smear campaign against those who stand in the way of their operations.