“People from the past, have a tendency to walk back into the present, and run over the future.”
-- Anthony Liccione
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Only most recently, some Ilonggo politicians--congressmen and women, governors, mayors--elbowed each other for attention of ousted House speaker, Pantaleon “Playboy Bebot” Alvarez, who was a frequent visitor in Iloilo and Negros.
Many of these Ilonggo politicians were willing to genuflect with Alvarez as long as they got what they wanted: endorsement for certain elective positions for themselves or for their chosen bets in the May 2019 elections.
They thought Alvarez was the Philippine version of Rasputin--indispensable, someone who holds the president in the testicles, imperishable and unsinkable as the fourth highest official of the land.
They played blind, deaf and mute to Alvarez’s moral and political transgressions and tolerated his hubris.
Alvarez got a mind-boggling VIP treatment from these eager-beaver local politicians as if he could bring back to life Lazarus of Bethany.
-o0o-
In many “mass” oath-taking ceremonies of newly recruited PDP-Laban members, Alvarez was treated like Nebuchadnezzar, eldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, an Assyrian official who rebelled and established himself as king of Babylon in 620 BC.
When Alvarez was trounced by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the speakership in a turbulent mutiny hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s state of the nation address (SONA) on July 23, most ofthese Ilonggo politicians who used to lionize Alvarez were now saying they junked Alvarez in favor of Arroyo.
From hallelujah to good riddance.
All of a sudden, most of these Ilonggo politicians disowned the Davao del Norte representative like a leper and are now queuing to ingratiate themselves with the controversial former president.
They gave credence to the age-old adages that “nobody loves a loser” and “victory has many fathers while defeat is an orphan.”
-o0o-
We thank Joji Jalandoni, former president of the New York City-based Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) for inviting us to grace the Piña-Seda (pineapple and silk cloths from the tropics) Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Traveling Exhibition lecture series, weaving demonstrations and embroidery workshops at the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan on July 24.
The exhibit featured Kalibo, Aklan Piña-Seda weavers and Lumbao, Laguna Piña-Seda embroiderers.
Piña (Spanish for pineapple) cloth is considered the finest and the queen of Philippine textiles.
Seda (Spanish for silk) cloth is undeniably the smoothest woven fabric in the world.
Combined with seda, piña exudes elegance as fined and delicate as pineapple and as smooth and luxurious as silk.
The exhibit, which started on July 24 and will be concluded on September 7, 2018, is being spearheaded by the National Museum (Pambansang Museo) and Office of Senator Loren Legarda.
Showing posts with label #AteGlo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #AteGlo. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Playboy Bebot to Ate Glo: From ‘worse to bad’
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”
--Henry Kissinger
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Nobody has bellyached now that Playboy Bebot was booted out in a “mutiny” in the House of Representatives.
No Mark Antony-like soliloquy.
No loyal subaltern threatening to commit a hara kiri.
No post mortem protest from PDP-Laban figureheads except for softy Koko Pimental’s tantrums.
Since the ouster supposedly had the fingerprints of the First Daughter, it had been received with a grain of salt by pro-and anti-Playboy Bebot politicians.
The message was clear: Playboy Bebot deserved to be given the door, his comeuppance for picking an unnecessary fight with the First Daughter; and for poking a nose into the latter’s infant political party.
Meanwhile, she was supposed to be in jail for plunder, but by a stroke luck, Ate Glo was released from being under house arrest when the Angry Man, her political benefactor, was catapulted into power in 2016.
Her pivotal rise from the rumps of political death signaled her stunning resurrection from the nadir.
-o0o-
Ate Glo had inherited her son’s position in congress, thus her political rehabilitation came to a zenith when she was installed as the new House speaker hours before the Angry Man’s state of the nation address on July 23, 2018.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, there’s no more turning back.
She could become the first prime minister if the sinister plot to hijack our constitution and shift the system of government into federal from unitary will come into fruition.
Between Playboy Bebot and Ate Glo, lawmakers opted for the lesser evil.
Thus the leadership change can be considered to be a transfer of power from “worse to bad.”
For being morally unfit and a bad influence, Playboy Bebot was a worse speaker.
For being mentally dishonest (“Hello Garci” tumult) and having been tainted with a whiff of graft and corruption, Ate Glo is a bad choice for Playboy Bebot’s replacement.
-o0o-
I was again misinterpreted for exhorting the relatives and friends of Monica-Blumentritt, Iloilo City Proper village chief Keith “Dabing” Espinosa and her jailed husband, Jesus “Jing-Jing” Espinosa Jr. to “pray for them” in my previous article.
It’s a common knowledge in Western Visayas or in Iloilo City, in particular, that the couple has been receiving threats owing to their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
Although Jing-Jing is now detained at the Iloilo Provincial Jail in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo for frustrated murder, he continued to engage in selling of illegal drugs using Dabing and his family remembers, according to Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, Chief Supt. John Bulalacao.
-o0o-
When I used “Pray for Jing-Jing and Dabing” as the title of my article, it did not mean I believed they were immaculate and shouldn’t be indicted in court.
They should be brought before the bar of justice unscathed.
As Christians, we are advocating for any suspected criminal to be given the due process and treated humanely.
This goes not only for Dabing and Jing-Jing but for all “notorious” characters out there who are still enjoying their freedom and are not yet locked behind bars.
We air this utmost concern amid the culture of impunity, the series of summary executions that pervade our society under the present administration, which apparently has showed callous disregard for the human life based on numerous anti-illegal drugs police operations.
We believe that any person, whose guilt has not yet been proven beyond reasonable doubt, should be entitled to his or her right to life.
--Henry Kissinger
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Nobody has bellyached now that Playboy Bebot was booted out in a “mutiny” in the House of Representatives.
No Mark Antony-like soliloquy.
No loyal subaltern threatening to commit a hara kiri.
No post mortem protest from PDP-Laban figureheads except for softy Koko Pimental’s tantrums.
Since the ouster supposedly had the fingerprints of the First Daughter, it had been received with a grain of salt by pro-and anti-Playboy Bebot politicians.
The message was clear: Playboy Bebot deserved to be given the door, his comeuppance for picking an unnecessary fight with the First Daughter; and for poking a nose into the latter’s infant political party.
Meanwhile, she was supposed to be in jail for plunder, but by a stroke luck, Ate Glo was released from being under house arrest when the Angry Man, her political benefactor, was catapulted into power in 2016.
Her pivotal rise from the rumps of political death signaled her stunning resurrection from the nadir.
-o0o-
Ate Glo had inherited her son’s position in congress, thus her political rehabilitation came to a zenith when she was installed as the new House speaker hours before the Angry Man’s state of the nation address on July 23, 2018.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, there’s no more turning back.
She could become the first prime minister if the sinister plot to hijack our constitution and shift the system of government into federal from unitary will come into fruition.
Between Playboy Bebot and Ate Glo, lawmakers opted for the lesser evil.
Thus the leadership change can be considered to be a transfer of power from “worse to bad.”
For being morally unfit and a bad influence, Playboy Bebot was a worse speaker.
For being mentally dishonest (“Hello Garci” tumult) and having been tainted with a whiff of graft and corruption, Ate Glo is a bad choice for Playboy Bebot’s replacement.
-o0o-
I was again misinterpreted for exhorting the relatives and friends of Monica-Blumentritt, Iloilo City Proper village chief Keith “Dabing” Espinosa and her jailed husband, Jesus “Jing-Jing” Espinosa Jr. to “pray for them” in my previous article.
It’s a common knowledge in Western Visayas or in Iloilo City, in particular, that the couple has been receiving threats owing to their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
Although Jing-Jing is now detained at the Iloilo Provincial Jail in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo for frustrated murder, he continued to engage in selling of illegal drugs using Dabing and his family remembers, according to Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, Chief Supt. John Bulalacao.
-o0o-
When I used “Pray for Jing-Jing and Dabing” as the title of my article, it did not mean I believed they were immaculate and shouldn’t be indicted in court.
They should be brought before the bar of justice unscathed.
As Christians, we are advocating for any suspected criminal to be given the due process and treated humanely.
This goes not only for Dabing and Jing-Jing but for all “notorious” characters out there who are still enjoying their freedom and are not yet locked behind bars.
We air this utmost concern amid the culture of impunity, the series of summary executions that pervade our society under the present administration, which apparently has showed callous disregard for the human life based on numerous anti-illegal drugs police operations.
We believe that any person, whose guilt has not yet been proven beyond reasonable doubt, should be entitled to his or her right to life.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Did ‘Ate Glo’ help Treñas?
“Once you embrace the absolute truth that every leader needs a mentor, you can begin to achieve the massive growth and success that you seek.”
--Clay Clark
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Just in case some Ilonggos have forgotten, one of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s most favorite city mayors from 2004 until 2010 was Atty. Jerry P. Treñas, now the congressman of the lone district of Iloilo City.
The Ilonggo solon holds a special place in 71-year-old Ate Glo’s heart until now.
Not everyone knows that Ate Glo was Treñas’ former mentor in college.
It was during Ate Glo’s term in Malacanang when Treñas was elected as chairman of the influential and powerful League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
When Ate Glo was under siege from the “Hyatt 10” (composed of her cabinet officials who resigned and demanded for her ouster) at the height of the “Hello Garci” controversy in 2008, Treñas, now 61, mobilized the LCP, which came up with a strong manifesto of support signed by 77 of 119 city mayors in the Philippines on March 4, 2008.
-o0o-
"The political noise which is mainly in Metro Manila does not represent the true sentiments of the people of the Philippines. While some people are out in the streets to rouse mass fervor, a greater number are bound to respect the proper Constitutional means of ferreting out the truth. And the League of Cities of the Philippines belongs to the greater number – with sobriety and unity," read part of their statement.
Treñas and his ilk emphasized that they issued the manifesto because “the people were tired of politicking and did not want disruptions especially with the Philippines already on the road to progress due to the President's skillful handling of the economy.”
The Hyatt 10 failed to oust Ate Glo, who managed to withstand her political detractors’ terrifying assaults and finish her term.
That was one “utang na loob” or debt of gratitude Ate Glo owed Treñas that she probably would never forget for the rest of her life.
-o0o-
When President Rodrigo R. Duterte ascended into power in 2016, Ate Glo, who was ordered detained for plunder during the term of her successor, President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III, was released and became Duterte’s chief ally in the House of Representatives after she was elected as congresswoman.
Treñas, who became one of the top honcos of Liberal Party (LP) in Western Visayas during President Aquino’s term owing to his close association with Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon, jumped to the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan’s (PDP-Laban), President Duterte’s party, in April 2017.
He brought along then vice mayor and now Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III and majority of the members of the city council.
Treñas' presence in the administration party was met with suspicions and derision by his political enemies who blasted him for being a “turncoat”.
The situation became complicated when the PDP-Laban hierarchy installed Dr. Pacita Trinidad-Gonzalez, mother of Treñas’ political rival, Raul Jr., as Iloilo City district chair on top of the reported appointment of Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Gonzalez’s Nacionalista Party (NP) partymate, as President Duterte’s “point man” for Iloilo.
-o0o-
After every mud, sling and arrow has been thrown, however, Treñas and Ganzon have combined forces and will be running mates for mayor and vice mayor in the 2019 elections.
As if the guessing game, thrill, shock and explosion were not enough, Treñas disclosed most recently that he was actually appointed as PDP-Laban “council president” in Iloilo City effective April 25, 2018 by no less than PDP-Laban national president Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, national secretary general House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, and vice chairman Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi.
All of a sudden, the Iloilo City solon “eclipsed” Dr. Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Ganzon in as far as power shift and preferential recognition in the PDP-Laban is concerned.
Treñas’ sudden and big leap from a “transferee” to “council president” left all his enemies startled and dumbfounded.
His rise to the PDP-Laban top echelon was meteoric and head-turning.
Did Ate Glo play an important role?
--Clay Clark
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Just in case some Ilonggos have forgotten, one of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s most favorite city mayors from 2004 until 2010 was Atty. Jerry P. Treñas, now the congressman of the lone district of Iloilo City.
The Ilonggo solon holds a special place in 71-year-old Ate Glo’s heart until now.
Not everyone knows that Ate Glo was Treñas’ former mentor in college.
It was during Ate Glo’s term in Malacanang when Treñas was elected as chairman of the influential and powerful League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
When Ate Glo was under siege from the “Hyatt 10” (composed of her cabinet officials who resigned and demanded for her ouster) at the height of the “Hello Garci” controversy in 2008, Treñas, now 61, mobilized the LCP, which came up with a strong manifesto of support signed by 77 of 119 city mayors in the Philippines on March 4, 2008.
-o0o-
"The political noise which is mainly in Metro Manila does not represent the true sentiments of the people of the Philippines. While some people are out in the streets to rouse mass fervor, a greater number are bound to respect the proper Constitutional means of ferreting out the truth. And the League of Cities of the Philippines belongs to the greater number – with sobriety and unity," read part of their statement.
Treñas and his ilk emphasized that they issued the manifesto because “the people were tired of politicking and did not want disruptions especially with the Philippines already on the road to progress due to the President's skillful handling of the economy.”
The Hyatt 10 failed to oust Ate Glo, who managed to withstand her political detractors’ terrifying assaults and finish her term.
That was one “utang na loob” or debt of gratitude Ate Glo owed Treñas that she probably would never forget for the rest of her life.
-o0o-
When President Rodrigo R. Duterte ascended into power in 2016, Ate Glo, who was ordered detained for plunder during the term of her successor, President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III, was released and became Duterte’s chief ally in the House of Representatives after she was elected as congresswoman.
Treñas, who became one of the top honcos of Liberal Party (LP) in Western Visayas during President Aquino’s term owing to his close association with Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon, jumped to the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan’s (PDP-Laban), President Duterte’s party, in April 2017.
He brought along then vice mayor and now Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III and majority of the members of the city council.
Treñas' presence in the administration party was met with suspicions and derision by his political enemies who blasted him for being a “turncoat”.
The situation became complicated when the PDP-Laban hierarchy installed Dr. Pacita Trinidad-Gonzalez, mother of Treñas’ political rival, Raul Jr., as Iloilo City district chair on top of the reported appointment of Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Gonzalez’s Nacionalista Party (NP) partymate, as President Duterte’s “point man” for Iloilo.
-o0o-
After every mud, sling and arrow has been thrown, however, Treñas and Ganzon have combined forces and will be running mates for mayor and vice mayor in the 2019 elections.
As if the guessing game, thrill, shock and explosion were not enough, Treñas disclosed most recently that he was actually appointed as PDP-Laban “council president” in Iloilo City effective April 25, 2018 by no less than PDP-Laban national president Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, national secretary general House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, and vice chairman Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi.
All of a sudden, the Iloilo City solon “eclipsed” Dr. Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Ganzon in as far as power shift and preferential recognition in the PDP-Laban is concerned.
Treñas’ sudden and big leap from a “transferee” to “council president” left all his enemies startled and dumbfounded.
His rise to the PDP-Laban top echelon was meteoric and head-turning.
Did Ate Glo play an important role?
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