Leila’s dilemma
Sorry for the play on words but the current situation of Senator Leila de Lima is the classic dilemma we all know as “Catch 22” or “Damned if you do – Damned if you don’t.”
In terms of communications and crisis management and assuming she is pure as the driven snow, the first thing I would have advised her would have been to sternly and passionately deny ever having an affair, relationship or a mere dalliance with her driver-bodyguard. If the rumors or accusations are unfounded or false, people expect her to rise up in righteous indignation and condemn such vile and malicious claims. Righteous anger is often the forerunner of a libel case and media hounds can immediately smell that. To be fair with Senator De Lima we can’t exactly expect her to be honest if indeed she had a relationship with her driver, because it would result into a pile of legal cases and even more “Honor Bashing.”
If however there is truth to the claims that she has or had more than a professional relationship with her driver-bodyguard, De Lima should have kept quiet and even used the worst defense of them all “No Comment” and still with a tinge of hostility or indignation for good measure. In the latest media ambush interview, Senator De Lima attempted to give an answer hoping to pacify the pack hounding her for sound byte. When your back is against the wall and your choices are slim and none, your best bet is to walk away as far and as fast as possible just like those Hollywood celebrities.
Little did Senator De Lima realize that trying to appease and reason with news hounds would sink her deeper and deeper into the pit. You cannot appeal to media sensibilities about so-called private matters. The media generally have no such sensibilities. Their training is to get the news at all costs. Asking the media to respect the private affairs of public figures reminds me of the Christian who was cornered by a huge hungry Lion. As luck would have it they actually managed to have a dialogue and the Christian declared: Please don’t eat me, I’m a Christian. Upon hearing that, the Lion stood up straight with excitement and amazement. “Well imagine that! I happen to be a Christian Lion!” after saying that the Lion immediately went on his knees and started to pray: “Bless O Lord this meal which I am about to receive from thy bounty AMEN!”
By deflecting or suggesting that private matters should not be discussed or placed under scrutiny especially since the other party was and is still very much married, Senator De Lima dug her PR grave because she did not deny it with utmost protestation but instead back-pedaled. In fact as the controversy began to brew, she should have searched for a designated spokesperson or team to keep the hordes at bay or far away. At this point, the best strategy for the good Senator would be the Biblical advise to seek peace with your enemy while there is time or find a peacemaker to help find a common ground or resolution. Don’t wait until you’re totally surrounded and burning at the stake.
Right now would also be a good time to form a team of pros to figure your way out of this pickle, people with strong media background, crisis managers, and a “Liaison team” to appease the Lion. Otherwise, the ultimate strategy would be to simply go public and that would be a totally different bucket of shark bait! Being a lawyer by training and profession, De Lima may be misled to believe that the Senate will provide her a security blanket or come to her aid. Sorry but they don’t have a history of standing in the firing line for colleagues. All you’ll hear from your small circle will be speeches and press release and maybe a training manual on how to skip town and fly to Morocco. None of them likes being a lightning rod. Given how personal and brutal Malacañang and several members of Congress have taken her on, I am afraid that things are going to get downright dirty. So remember: “The Truth Shall set You free”
* * * Yes the truth shall set you free especially when you say it before and not after you’ve been found out.
Imagine buying a townhouse or condominium unit in a high-risk zone such as a fault line, danger zone or flood prone area. I have seen several townhouses built up on cliffs that are literally the fault line and just two blocks away a major real estate and engineering firm have been pre-selling condos situated about 500 meters from the fault line. I admire their confidence in their engineering history, but it is out right deceitful not to inform buyers about the fault line.
During the time I worked in the US, I observed how the local Environmental Planning Authority ferociously guarded property developers and owners to make sure they don’t destroy, cover up or interfere with natural terrain of land to avoid flooding in the wrong places, soil run offs or erosion, covering up natural water sources for wild animals or contaminating shallow ground water supply.
Here in the Philippines, contractors and their concrete mixers use our manholes and storm drains like toilets for flushing their excess cement mix or bulky residues as they spray or hose down the mixers.
It is also a crime in my mind to selling high value condominiums while “failing” to advise buyers that the government has on-going plans to build a bridge very near the site which will undoubtedly result in constant traffic, pollution, noise and gridlock right below the brand-spanking new condos!
In this regard, whoever the lawmakers are that have authority to legislate on matters about housing such as condominium and townhouse projects, may I humbly suggest that a law for “Full Disclosure on pre-existing conditions” be passed in order to require real estate developers to inform buyers on what risks, defects, changes, or engineering corrections were made regarding their projects so that unsuspecting buyers will know what they are getting into and what to expect in the long term. If there is such a law, well someone’s not doing their job!
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