MINDANAO (MindaNews / 21 September) – The Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod led by the dynastic Duterte family initially planned to hold a rally in time for the 52nd anniversary of the martial law declaration by President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. But for reasons they refused to say, the plan was shelved.
Not enough warm bodies for an effective show of force? Not enough budget for the “hakot” of participants? Whatever the reason is, maayo ra sab.
Why? Pagkabakikaw ba sab nga manaway sila sa martial law ni Makoy Senyor, unya si Digong Duterte mismo mora pod og nag-martial law sa siya pa ang presidente. No moral ascendancy, so to speak. Remember the thousands of drug suspects who were summarily executed in the bloody “war on drugs” during his administration. Remember the institutionalized red-tagging that victimized several activists and other critics. The list is long.
Isa pa, the abortive rally was simply meant to embarrass the dictator’s son, President Bongbong Marcos. Unsaon, ang unity sa UniTeam dugay ra mang nahimong untidy kay nagkontes na man silag pagawasay sa ilang mga untidy acts.
For example, Rep. Pulong Duterte, along with brother-in-law lawyer Mans Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, has been accused of being the mastermind of the P11-billion shabu smuggling in 2018, sa presidente pa ang iyang amahan.
Pulong responded by filing a bill requiring all elective officials, including the president, to undergo hair follicle test to determine if they are using illegal drugs. The proposal to include the president is apparently a patama versus Bongbong Marcos, who is rumored to be hooked on cocaine. A red herring by Pulong to divert the issue away from him, some quarters opined.
Dugang pa, gigisa si Sara sa mga kongresista about the P2-billion plus proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President for 2025. Dili sama sa una nga gisayonsayon ra niyag gasto ang P125 million confidential funds in 11 days. Wow, world record tingali ni, no? Pero, at least, the word “shiminet” was added to our political lexicon.
Ug, hoy, kahibalo na man tingali ka no nga nakig-meeting si Shiminet, aw si Sara, kang kanhi Vice President Leni Robredo atol sa Peñafrancia Festival didtos Bicol? Robredo initially declined to meet her successor, pero namugos man, gipagbigyan na lang.
What could be Sara’s agenda? Just for niceties? I doubt it. More like an effort to blunt criticisms against her (Sara) arrogance and sense of entitlement, including entitlement to get hold of taxpayers’ money sans any accountability. Well, Bongbong is no saint either, except that Sara pushes the Duterte card too far. I mean, she seems to want to surpass her father’s bullying ways.
That punching of a sheriff in Davao City years ago when she was still a mayor should have been considered a red flag. But, no, her supporters relished the spectacle the way they applauded Digong’s balasubas ways.
Imagine if she gets to win the highest post of the land. Not that House Speaker Martin Romualdez would be a better choice.
Choose the lesser evil? Give the lesser evil a chance and the next thing you’d know, the adjective is irrelevant.
P.S.: Don’t mix pink with green kay ang resulta either brown or gray, depende kung unsa ang mas daghan sa mixture. Dull color.
(Mind Da Noise is a column by jaded Mindanawon observers.)