Triggered

A large cloud of uncertainty has descended upon our nation's life.

- ALEX MAGNO

Suddenly it seems we can no longer see beyond our noses as we try to pick our way towards a just future for our people. The last time I recall being in this sort of political unpredictability was during the impeachment trial of Joseph Estrada nearly a quarter of a century ago.

In every meeting I have been to in the past few days, the question is asked: What happens now?

No one appears ready to answer that. We are in that sort of political turbulence where any outcome is possible. Even the unthinkable needs to be thought through.

Uncertainty is toxic to economic growth. Businessmen want predictability. Investments need some minimal amount of certainty. The vital ingredient of normality in our national life now seems absent. This political circus is going to cost the nation dearly, much more than that string of recent typhoons did.

Filipino politics has been through a long episode of magical realism where everything seems to defy the norms, everything is slightly but irreparably disfigured so that every look demands a second take.

The man on the street may take all that has happened the past few days in stride. We have a noisy democracy where verbiage often outpaces the facts on the ground. Regular citizens take all the showmanship with a large grain of salt.