(Sing
to the tune of How Do You Solve A Problem
Like Maria)
He’s in Geneva to tell
His boss’ human rights is real
While son taken for questioning
Caught with kush in drug deal
I hate to have to say it
But I very firmly feel
Remulla’s no longer an asset to Palace
I’d like to say a word in his behalf
Remulla… makes me… laugh (or cry, depending
on who sings)
How do you solve a problem like Remulla?
(Adapted
from The Sound of Music album)
To
resign or not to resign -- that is the question preying on the minds of
discerning Pinoys today about what Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla
ought to do in the thick of his son’s drug case.
Let’s get to the bottom of this dilemma by making the best use of the right tool – Personal SWOT Analysis – a method of individual assessment. Also called Situational Assessment, Wikipedia defines it as a strategic planning and strategic management technique used to help a person identify his Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T).
Let’s
ask some questions. As Sheryl Sandberg, Meta Platforms COO, holding questioning
minds in high regard, quipped: “Don’t be afraid to ask the ‘dumb’ question;
everyone else will be relieved you had the guts to ask!”
STRENGTH
First question: Does his son’s drug case strengthen Sec. Remulla as Justice Secretary?
Answer:
No. As Justice Secretary, the case will become an albatross around his neck. As
a father though, it may strengthen him to be there for his son who needs him desperately
during this sink or swim period in his life. As Pope Francis said: “Families
will always have their trials; be living examples of love, forgiveness, and
care.”
WEAKNESS
Second
Question: Does his son’s drug case weaken Sec. Remulla as Justice Secretary?
“I am
both a father and the Secretary of Justice, roles that I take very seriously.”
(Sec. Remulla)
Answer:
Yes. Based on Sec. Remulla’s statement above and using an analogy, the drug
case has turned his son into both his “comrade” and his “prisoner of war.” Hence, the duality will entangle Sec. Remulla
in his job as precariously as juggling chain saws: carrying on his back a
“wounded comrade” but also treating him as a “prisoner of war” to whom Sec. Remulla
gives no quarter.
Imagine
these two contrasting images. First, you are a soldier carrying a “wounded
comrade” on your shoulder in the thick of the battle. Second, you are a field
commander -- determined, uncompromising, relentless, shows no mercy – doesn’t care
about the “prisoner of war” in trying to achieve your wartime goal. Maintaining
your equilibrium between such duality will take a lot of your physical and
mental energy. In the same way, the burden of such dilemma will sap the
strength of Sec. Remulla.
OPPORTUNITIES
Third
question: Does his son’s drug case present opportunities for Sec. Remulla to
help him perform effectively his duties as Justice Secretary?
“It
is the best example of the justice system working. The son of the DOJ secretary
has a case and is in jail.” (Sec. Remulla)
Answer:
Ummm. The outcome of the case is still up in the air. Far from it, the case can
pave the way for many opportunities for garden-variety opportunists who are more
than willing to help Sec. Remulla (with or without his asking for it) in
performing his job for better or for worse that will overshadow his foresight.
Deeply
rooted in Filipino culture, here are some of the old-time long-established
opportunistic practices, among others:
Padrino
system: “Pads, ako ang bahala.”
Old
boy network. “Parts, alam mo ang style ko.”
Reciprocity.
“Sir, may utang pa ako sa iyo.”
Professional
courtesy. “Brod, let me handle it.”
Political
families. “Manong, hindi ka nag-iisa.”
The power of influence of the above “support system” has no need even for his son’s drug case to reach the Justice Secretary’s desk to be settled.
THREAT
Fourth
question: Does his son’s drug case pose a threat to Sec. Remulla in performing effectively
his job as Justice Secretary?
Answer:
Yes. And it’s too far-reaching. Sec. Remulla’s son’s drug case is a mock-up of nepotism
stuff which, along with favoritism, eventually replicates its negative impacts.
Nepotism is defined as the act of using power or influence to get unfair advantages
for members of one’s family. True enough, Sec. Remulla, like any father, has
sought not to be in the current tangled situation. Interestingly, the drug bust
was a “force majeure” -- an unexpected event, a so-called “act of God” that did
so.
But just the same, Sec. Remulla has been perceived to have the power or influence
to get unfair advantages for his son. Like nepotism’s aftereffects, the drug
case will “hinder the effectiveness and efficiency of [public service],
diminish the public trust, and damage the perception that [the justice
department] is serving the interest of their constituents.” (Fighting Nepotism within Local and Regional
Authorities, Council of Europe, July 2019)
PARENTAL LOVE
Wrapping
up this article, I feel the following excerpts from the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
will hit on the heart of the matter.
“Ponder
the last moment of Gary and Mary Jane Chauncey, a couple completely devoted to
their eleven-year-old daughter Andrea, who was confined to a wheelchair by
cerebral palsy.
“The
Chauncey family were passengers on an Amtrak train that crashed into a river
after a barge hit and weakened a railroad bridge in Louisiana’s bayou country.
Thinking first of their daughter, the couple tried their best to save Andrea as
water rushed into the sinking train; somehow they managed to push Andrea
through a window to rescuers. Then, as the car sank beneath the water, they
perished.
“[F]rom
the perspective of a parent making a desperate decision in a moment of crisis,
it is about nothing other than love […]Only a potent love – the urgency of
saving a cherished child -- could lead a
parent to override the impulse for personal survival.”
Goleman rounded out, “Seen from the intellect, their self-sacrifice was arguably irrational; seen from the heart, it was the only choice to make.”
Diner scene -- Beautiful Boy
Our
SWOT Analysis has untangled the dilemma and straightened out the option of not resigning as a bad choice for Sec
Remulla’s career and for our country. As a father of an apprehended son, Mr.
Remulla, in making a crucial decision in a moment of crisis, unlike the
Chauncey parents, doesn’t even need to override the impulse for his personal
survival. Mr. Remulla has only to resign.
It
is a better choice -- as easy as singing the Do-Re-Mi.
Do, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name, I call myself …
(fade)
(Taken from The Sound of Music album)
Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong
Head still photo courtesy of Karolina Grabowska @ pixelsdotcom
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