by Lito Banayo
from MALAYA
Three years after the crime, Comelec sacks Lintang Bedol, the election supervisor for the “fabled” province of Maguindanao. But where the hell is Lintang Bedol? Somewhere in the boondocks, buried by a backhoe, so dead men tell no tales? Or perhaps, like Garci, still “operating” for somebody. Who is Lintang Bedol’s client, assuming he has not been “back-hoed”? Is it Toto Mangudadatu this time?
In any case, all you have to do is go to Subic, and ask the primus inter pares for election “operators” — Virgilio Garcillano. Yes, Garci sips his Carlos “Uno” each sunset in a balcony overlooking the fringes of Manila Bay. Are Sumalipao, Pobe, Icaro, and many, many more just a cell phone call away? Hello Garci?
* * *
Ed Ermita, with lots of chutzpah expressed in dead pan fashion, maintains that Gibo “has been receiving full support from us”. Beams Ermita, “We are already in full throttle”. But Gilbert’s numbers seem to have remained listless at single-digit.
And then the soon-to-be-resurrected gentleman from Batangas, Ermita adds: “At the proper time, our car will be on automatic shift and it will move forward to victory”. Something rings rather ominous where Ermita talks of an “automatic shift”.
Automatic shift from Gibo to Money Villarroyo? Is that a Freudian slip, Mr. Ermita? He, he, he. Will you repaint Gibo’s airplane into flaming orange? Aumentado of Bohol, as well as his successor-in-interest, Julius Herrera have already done so.
Why, even this multi-coloured candidate for congressman in the first district of Laguna, this Grade-B movie actor Dan Fernandez, who was rejected by the HRET, then re-instated by the Supreme Court (another “justice incredible” decision?) has been flitting in and out of every presidentiable’s camp.
Dan Fernandez is the official Liberal Party candidate for congressman, courtesy of Joey Lina who is running for governor of our province. When Noynoy and Mar toured Laguna, he tried to show up. When Money Villarroyo was there, he escorted Money. And the other day, when Gibo was there, Dan Fernandez was wih him too! These Liberals should sack him, for their own good. Sumasakay sa lahat. In the end, pera-pera lang ang katapat. That means neither Noynoy, nor Gibo, but Money.
Foolishly, perhaps because they need to fill in the blanks for local candidates, the Liberals are supporting movie actors who do not know how to campaign, do not have any organizational infrastructure (like Cesar Montano in Bohol), and worse, in the case of Dan Fernandez, nothing but good looks and plenty of opportunism.
* * *
Now the Nacionalista senatorial candidates are frothing in the mouth because the Liberals under Noynoy “might” use the forthcoming Edsa celebration as a political platform.
The son of NP senatorial candidate Ariel Querubin, yet detained in the ISAFP barracks, gave the most scathing statements, asking the LP “to stop exploiting historical events to their advantage”. Querubin’s son, Martin, probably remembers that his father, then a Marine captain, was with the 1989 coup attempt against President Cory. No wonder masama ang loob niya.
Another NP senatorial candidate, Satur Ocampo, warned that the Edsa Revolt is not owned by the LP. Yes that’s true, Ka Satur. But you have no right to say that, because you and your Bayan Muna were never there. Ordinary folks who do not see red in everything, and were simply fed-up with corruption and injustice were the ones who trooped to Edsa to help Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos topple Marcos, inspired by Cory Aquino and the cheating that was done against the Cory-Doy tandem. Where were the “reds”? They shunned Edsa. So clam up, Ka Satur. Just butter up to your Money Villarroyo.
And Senadora Loren Legarda Leviste, Money Villarroyo’s running-mate, addressed a press conference asking the LP to “elevate” the level of political campaign and refrain from mudslinging. A year ago, she was ranting and fulminating against the Manny she now lives with politically. She condemned him for abuse of power and prerogative; she tarred him with C-5 at Taga. Now that she has partaken of the “taga”, she asks their adversaries to “refrain from mudslinging”. Such first-class hypocrisy!
And where were all these statements expressed by the hacks of Money Villarroyo?
In Capiz! And who is their gubernatorial candidate in Capiz? Why, Jocelyn Bolante alias Joc-Joc, mismo! Spending millions upon millions, buying mayors and barangay captains, to support his “bandwagon” towards electoral “vindication” (kuno).
Didn’t Loren and Ka Satur denounce Joc-Joc and his bolantic legerdemain years and months ago? Didn’t they condemn him and his master/mistress for corruption most gross, at the expense of the poor magsasaka for whom their hearts bleed (kuno)? Now they are going ga-ga for Joc-Joc. Such hypocrisy!
But Money and Loren kept boasting that out of 17 mayors of Mar Roxas’ home province, 13, magical 13, were supporting their tandem. And Joc-Joc.
“How can Mar say that Capiz is their bailiwick when in fact, 13 out of 17 mayors are with the NP?”, Legarda-Leviste ululated with pride. Joc-Joc is their trophy. (Did he serve you iced liquid fertilizer-laced tea?)
Kaya pala, as Villar said in his television ads, he would lick corruption by “hindi na kailangan pang magnakaw”. That must have warmed Joc-Joc’s heart… “hindi na kailangan pang magnakaw”, because he is already going to be the Nacionalista governor of Capiz! With President Money Villarroyo and Vice-President Loren-Loren Sinta, plus Senate President Joker Arroyo and his favourite mistress, La Dona Gloria Arroyo, misma, as Speaker of the House!
* * *
But going back to Edsa, and the celebrations next week.
Noynoy has every right to star in it, because his father Ninoy shed blood and lost his life so that Edsa would become possible. And his mother Cory rallied a long-abused people to make a stand in Edsa.
While Villar and Legarda-Leviste, along with Ka Satur and their caboodle in the Money Villarroyo gravy train, want “business as usual”, transaction here…transaction there.
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