March to mayhem
It is November in Manila, days before the deadline for filing candidacies. On Monday, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada with 11 other senators signed Resolution 1472 absolving Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. of ethical charges in connection with the C-5 Road extension project, long before a committee report was officially released by the Senate.
On Tuesday, Senator Estrada confirmed he had accepted Senator Villar’s offer to join the Nacionalista party as a guest candidate. “We have the same stand on important issues.”
On Wednesday, Estrada pulled out his signature from Resolution 1472, because of the timing of the resolution’s release. “You know, people might say that I accepted the offer of the NP as a guest candidate in exchange for my signature of that particular resolution.”
On Friday, Senator Estrada pulled out from the Nacionalista slate, “because a lot of people are speculating that I am turning my back from my father’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino.” Estrada says that he continues to “value’’ Villar as a “friend.’’
“People might say,” says Estrada. “People are speculating.” Odd remarks for a man who seems to have no compunction about what “people might say” about his political seesawing. Perhaps he does not feel “people might say” there is anything wrong with making decisions and changing decisions of national import based on personal whim, especially decisions that supposedly manifest some personal conviction. Of course he believes Villar is innocent, of course Villar is “a friend,” but he will withdraw his support anyway, because the politically motivated resolution he signed now appears politically motivated.
Estrada is not the only politician afflicted with abrupt epiphanies.
In 2001 Sen. Loren Legarda condemned Joseph “Erap” Estrada, cried at what she believed was a travesty of justice during his failed impeachment hearing, and walked along Edsa at the head of a flock ousting Erap.
In 2004, she ran for vice president with the Erap-nominated Fernando Poe Jr. with Erap’s support.
In 2008, as senator, she supported the ouster of then Senate President Manny Villar, following the C-5 double-insertion controversy, and criticized his unwillingness to participate in the Senate probe. Last Monday, she signed Resolution 1472 absolving Villar long before a committee report had been released on the probe, following the announcement that she would run as his vice president.
Marcos’ son Bongbong also took shelter under the generous Villar banner, joining anti-Marcos party-list congressmen who had long been campaigning for compensation to human rights victims during martial law. Villar sees nothing wrong with this. “It’s known that we can’t agree on all issues, we just need to keep this in mind. All of us, the important thing is our love for the poor, our desire to eradicate poverty, and the need to unify all sectors.”
For his part, Marcos agreed with Villar’s statement saying that as long as all candidates under the NP agree and that the foundation of their candidacy is helping the poor, then they are “committed and ready to fight this fight.”
The same grand welcome was extended by Sen. Noynoy Aquino and his Liberal Party to former Sen. Ralph Recto, an administration stalwart and Arroyo apologist—an odd phenomenon in a party claiming to herald the end to traditional politics. Recto had run under the administration ticket in 2007 and lost, and now claims he was invited into the Aquino-Roxas fold. That LP’s Sergio Osmeña III took a principled stand against welcoming the former socioeconomic secretary and his superstar wife apparently made little dent in the party’s decision, another decision that put premium on showbiz over substance. Now Osmeña is out, but the party is still united. After all, theirs also is a party whose main goal is “addressing poverty and decency in government.”
The administration party, suddenly barren of all the President’s men, pulled in television host Edu Manzano. Administration standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro now claims they are still strong and united by the fight against poverty. “To ensure the people’s exercise of their human rights, he said he would address the four faces of poverty: Poverty of the mind, poverty of the pocket, poverty of the environment and the poverty of relationships.”
And so the horse-trading and chair-switching go on, with little loss of face. There are no loyalties, there are no colors, because no matter what “people might say,” they are all united in a grand commitment to end poverty and bring back good governance, all in the service of the Filipino nation.
It is November, and carols are tinkling away in shopping mall elevators. It is the season of bouncing checks and bad promises, of neon stars glowing along cracked concrete bridges, of cold rain falling on girls with glitter-blue eyelids cocking bare legs in plastic heels at Quezon Avenue traffic. Morning show hosts shriek Christmas countdowns, while stores are robbed accordingly with every day closer to the holidays. A taxi driver was held up for his watch and belt, and a Filipino-Chinese father with a bullet in his back crashed his van a block away from Ospital ng Maynila, after he and his family were waylaid in Parañaque.
It is possible, at this time, for a 44-year-old housewife to be shot in the face two blocks from her home by a teenager for the P700 in her handbag. Merry Christmas, deck the halls, watch your step, don’t walk in the dark.
It is November, and this is Manila, slapped by wind, drowned by rain, scraping mud off baby shoes while televisions blare with news of 2010’s candidates playing musical chairs. Watch them dance; hear them sing. Blink, and the dancers change. Blink, and the music breaks. Thirty-three days to Christmas, a hundred sixty-five to the grand new day. See the blinking lights; hear the beating drum. This is the promise of 2010.
Apr 20, 2010
The Phil President 2010 election goes to be the news nowadays, many survey outcome from many surveys are derived to determine the standing of the presidentiables, and it seems to be a close battle between noynoy aquino and manny villar. One Political party can make Black propaganda against opposing candidate to hurt one’s ranking. One of the recent is “Villaroyo”.
May 10, 2010
Yes to all, Ms. Pat. So do not wallow in self-pity and whine endlessly. You who can talk sagely can walk upwardly and forwardly, rod-like-straight. You start leading our compatriots to begin to lead us and our country. Eradicate stupidity in our government; become our nation’s leaders. Why not? What you can think, you can apply.