Justice Sec. Raul Gonzales may be forgiven if he was just being tactless. But he was being obnoxiously tactless when he blamed the death of Julia Campbell, a US Peace Corp volunteer, on Julia herself.

In trying to sound cocky or perhaps intellectual, he only managed to insult the sensibilities of both Americans and Filipinos, not to mention the loved ones and friends of Julia Campbell. He should have tried to bring comfort to those who were aggrieved by Julia’s death. Instead, he insinuated that she was irresponsible and careless in making a trek to the Banaue terraces alone.

At the very least he should have assured all and sundry that everything posible was being done in investigating the circumstances around the death of Ms. Campbell. But what can you expect from a man who has been bumbling his way all throughout his career as the Justice Secretary?

The man should resign and not heap his senility on the Philippines he has sworn to serve. But, for once, I enjoyed what United Opposition campaign manager JV Ejercito said about him: “Let him stay on. He’s a big help in our campaign.”

Technorati Tags: Raul Gonzales, Julia Campbell, US Peace Corps, JV Ejercito, United Opposition