Simple wisdom of the common folk

Former Manila councilor and authentic man of the masa, Rogie de la Paz, called me last Monday for his observation on the Dacer-Corbito “sensation” of the month. Said Rogie:

“Simple lang sa utak ng masa ‘yan, sir. Kung may madilim kang lihim na itinatago, a-areglo ka agad sa may kapangyarihan” (If you have dark secrets, you immediately come to terms with the powers that be).

So Rogie asks, “if Ping Lacson is guilty of masterminding such a horrendous crime as the double-murder of Dacer and Corbito, why does he keep fighting corruption? E ‘di noon pa, umareglo na ‘yan kay GMA, who controls the DOJ, the police, the courts --- everything.”

Indeed. Oo nga naman. Truth is, as reader Manny (not Villar) wrote by e-mail: “Among all the presidential aspirants, only Ping has been the most vocal and the most consistent oppositionist. That’s why he is being demonized by the minions of GMA. Who hate him with a passion. If Lacson has done such a crime, it would have been too convenient for him to cozy up to the regime, both for protection and financial rewards. When you are part of GMA’s camp, you get both protection for anything you did in the past, and you even get rewarded with positions and projects. Pero kung lumalaban ka kay Gloria --- patay kang bata ka”.

“Former DOTC Secretary Josie Lichauco stated “that the best evidence of the alleged involvement of Senator Lacson is the affidavit itself. Where is this affidavit? Why does not this administration finally release it to shed light on this latest controversy?” asks Lichauco, a Yale educated lawyer (not necessarily simple folk but a Filipino with the highest credentials for patriotism). She added though that affidavits in this country “are suspect given the fact that we have ceased to put a value on the truth.”
“Dinky Soliman, a member of both eye FSGO and the Black and White Movement and a former Arroyo cabinet member, also said that this latest vilification campaign against Ping Lacson is simply “squid tactics” meant to dirty and discredit those who criticize the many anomalies being committed by this administration. “This is a disservice to those seeking the truth. If the DOJ really has the affidavit, they should make it public as it is a public document.” Dinky, former DSWD secretary until she realized she was working for an evil regime, knows how the simple folk think.

* * *

Ronald Roy, writer and lyricist, son of the late Sen. Jose Roy of Tarlac, writes in his personal encounter with Bubby Dacer days before he was abducted along with his driver Emmanuel Corbito:

“The all-in-white moustachioed press relations consultant hummed along “A Touch of Summer” (which Roy composed) at the Manila Hotel, when I played it one day at the lobby lounge’s keyboard on request of Lulu Casas-Quezon, The melody made her misty-eyed, and also buoyed up Bubby’s spirits, who was then having a bad day.

“Bubby had just received a final eviction notice from the hotel if he did not settle his rental payables. “They are going to eject me if I cannot pay by 5 pm Friday next week. President FVR, my client, refuses to pay the fees for services already rendered by me. He can come to my rescue, if he wants to. Pero ayaw magbayad ni Tabako”.

“I then interjected, why don’t you see Erap for a public relations retainer? I’m sure he will help you. Thoughtfully looking up, he replied that Erap would surely help him. “He is generous and he’s my kumpare”, Bubby said.

“Then, when I asked him how he was doing with his other clients, he said, “In this business, be ready to get caught up in conflict-of-interest situations. Bubby narrated about two brothers, both his clients, one a congressman and the other a retired police colonel, who were both eyeing the same gubernatorial post. “Their rivalry reached a point where their bodyguards shot in out in the market. Do you know they are both blaming me now for their differences? Look brother, I don’t want to get hurt here” , Hmmm, were his words ominous? He had other conflict-of-interest cases.

“Oh by the way, how beautiful your Touch of Summer is, brother!” That was his parting shot, humming its melody as he walked from lobby to his (second floor) office. That was also the last time I saw Dacer. Little did I know he would soon be pleading for his very life.”

Ronald Roy then suspects others, neither Erap nor Ping, but I do not want to engage in speculations at this point. Let us just wait for Cesar Mancao, Glenn Dumlao, and Michael Ray Aquino, and watch for the “truth”, if ever.

* * *

In the heat of the 2001 senatorial campaign, what were supposedly the charred remains of Dacer and Corbito were “discovered” in a ravine in Indang, Cavite. Since PAOCTF men were supposedly involved in the abduction, the new government of GMA, through its minions, particularly an ISAFP colonel and an NBI director (now deceased), speculated against then senatorial candidate and former PNP director general Lacson. As I was managing the Lacson campaign, I called for a meeting of the PNP-PAOCTF men close to Lacson, among them Cesar Mancao and Michael Ray Aquino, to elicit facts for a crisis management situation.

“Tell me, what happened there?”, I asked. Both were silent, until Mancao said that the events happened so fast, and the impeachment case against Erap had caused demoralization in the bureaucracy, especially among Erap’s men, like them. “In-assign po ‘yan sa CIDG to investigate, tapos, on Rizal Day a month later, sumabog ang LRT, kaya gulung-gulo kami”.

“Yes, but what were the leads in the early investigation ?”, I pressed. It was Ninoy (Michael Ray’s monicker) who answered: “Madami ho kasing kliyente si Dacer na galit yata sa kanya. Among them is a (Southern Luzon politician) who he was serving as a PR man, and then, Dacer also got his rival politician as a client. Pati ho si (a palace functionary, now a congressman) ang sama ng sinasabi tungkol kay Dacer”.

Still, I was facing a blank wall, because the leads were just suspicions, even speculations at best. I could not use these leads, which is why I have also blanked-out in this article the names mentioned to me then. The Dacer-Corbito case stymied Lacson’s campaign, and he even had to attend Senate hearings chaired, if I remember right, by Sen. Barbers and Sen. Arroyo, taking away precious days in a short campaign period. I could only watch helplessly as the double-murder case caused our survey ratings to drop. Yet, Lacson still managed to win, number 10 in a field of 13 senators in the 2001 elections. My target was to get Ping in the top five.

Then, right after he was elected, Lacson became the object of a contrived black propaganda campaign participated in by ISAFP chief Victor Corpus, a certain Ador Mawanay, Mary Ong Gaba alias Rosebud, NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco (now deceased), and a host of other characters. Lacson had stashed away hundreds of millions of dollars in the US, the banner headline of the Inquirer screamed. Days later, the banks denied even the existence of the account numbers concocted by the demolition team of GMA. Years later, NBI’s Wycoco could only show a few thousand dollars having crossed the accounts of former US resident Alice Lacson (Ping’s wife), the result of an exhaustive FBI investigation done upon the request of the Philippine government.

The malicious Corpus, with the help of Joker Arroyo and the late Robert Barbers, presented obviously incredible witness after witness in televised joint hearings of their committees. Almost always, the hearings showed the falsity of the charges against Lacson, including a comic situation where Corpus showed the picture of an alleged friend of Lacson who was allegedly a drug lord, only to discover that the picture was that of Steve, a long-time Senate employee who was then the head executive assistant of Senator Barbers. Ha, ha, ha!

Since then, Ador Mawanay has confessed to media that he lied under pressure from Corpus. Blanquita Pelaez, sometime last year, also confessed she was used, and that the charges against Ping were all lies.

When will all the lying, used to deflect and cover-up the more important issues of corruption so gross --- end? Only when the stealing ends, which for as long as GMA and her esposo are in power --- never will. That’s the story state of our benighted lives in this benighted land.