Punchline
Trillanes, a shocking revelation
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
I USED to shake my head in wonder each time I watched Sen. Sonny Trillanes doing his worst as an attack dog. But not anymore.
I was privy to the close collaboration between Sen. Alan Cayetano and Trillanes when they dug up the corruption in Makati City perpetrated by the Binay (father-mother-son) triumvirate. Initially, Trillanes impressed me as someone who truly shared Cayetano’s aversion to corruption but along the way, he was becoming more reckless in his statements outside the senate obviously for a chance to grandstand.
On several occasions, he preempted the senate investigation proceedings by announcing to the media what would be presented as evidence the following day. I could not find any justifiable reason for him doing that except to grandstand while letting the cat out of the bag, and making it more difficult for Cayetano to articulate the Binays’ crime as being alleged. Still, Cayetano did not complain.
So I wasn’t at all surprised that Trillanes’ reckless bravado earned him a libel suit from the Binays. Cayetano wasn’t charged.
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ATTACK DOG. Then, prior to the filing of candidacies for the 2016 election, Cayetano was open to Trillanes about his plans to be Duterte’s running-mate. All throughout, Trillanes never gave a hint that he was interested to run for VP until filing period came. It baffled most political pundits why he filed for VP as an independent knowing he stood no chance against well-funded presidential tandems, i.e., Roxas-Robredo, Poe-Escudero, Santiago-Marcos, Binay-Honasan, and there was his friend Cayetano who was determined to run with Duterte, who stood more chances of winning than he did.
And as we now know, it didn’t take long for the Trillanes agenda to surface. He was the shameless, relentless attack dog for Roxas-Rebredo, kicking all the presidential (except Poe) and VP candidates where he could! He didn’t bother about his ratings, all he cared about was how far his allegations vs. Duterte, particularly about the latter’s alleged millions in the bank would wreak havoc. He changed his tone after final election results told him to back off but not for long.
Now comes Trillanes, again, doing his worst this time against Cayetano, his closest friend and ally for a time, for defending President Duterte in the war on drugs.
Apparently, it was not the first time Trillanes was known to have turned his back on his allies in the advocacy contra corruption. As his once close ally and friend in Magdalo, Nicanor Faeldon, confided to Duterte during the campaign, they had since parted ways when Trillanes refused to take on PNoy’s corruption issues.
So, wonder no more about who Sen. Antonio Trillanes is. What we saw in him as the disillusioned anti-corruption warrior, is not what he really is. So expect to see more of the worst from him.
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TO THE RESCUE. Dagupan residents experiencing regular flooding should thank their stars that they have a Belen Fernandez as their mayor at this time.
As some residents quickly attest, the mayor runs to affected areas to see how flooding can be mitigated. In the past, the most that mayors would do was to go through the motion of cleaning the drainage pipes on the streets.
Finally, by her own reckoning, the cause of incessant flooding from 2 days rainfall could no longer be caused by clogged drainage. It necessitated an action that requires the cooperation of Calasaio and Sta. Barbara in the Third District.
To her credit, Mayor Belen quickly sought an audience with Calasiao Mayor Joseph Bauzon and Third District Rep. Baby Arenas to seek the latter’s support. She found no need to observe protocol. Her agenda needed an urgent solution!
The solution may take years to take effect but at least the first step has been taken.
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TEST OF LEADERSHIP. It’s heartening to learn that Guv Pogi has decided to put pressure on the barangay kaptitans as well to take the drug tests.
In a press release, he was quoted to have invoked his being the former Liga ng mga Barangay Federation president to stress the importance and urgency for his former colleagues to take the drug test. After all, he already took the drug test himself, leading by example.
At any rate, Guv Pogi’s sentiment about drug tests by kapitans should now make it easier for BM Jinky Zaplan, as Liga president, to make the spirit of her resolution a reality. She said it’s incumbent upon kapitans to take the tests to prove that they are worthy of the trust reposed in them by their constituents.
She told The PUNCH that her fellow Kapitans and other own barangay officials in Sta. Barbara are set to take the drug tests.
Whether they like it or not, both of their leadership will be tested severely in Duterte’s war on drugs.
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MOVING ON. You have to hand it to President Duterte to constantly surprise us with the unexpected.
In August, from out of nowhere, he pulled out a drug matrix insinuating a Pangasinan conspiracy in the De Lima-NBP drug trade. He named Cong. Spines, his former administrator Raffy Baraan (whose brother, Toti, was the former DOJ Usec. of De Lima, Ronnie Dayan of Urbiztondo, De Lima’s driver-bodyguard (and lover?), BM Raul Sison, etc.
Then last week, without much ado, he apologized in public for the wrong he committed to Cong. Spine, Raffy Baraan and BM Sison!
Perhaps, all’s well that ends well between PDU30 and Cong. Spines et al. but not for most in Pangasinan. People are asking for the head of the person that poisoned PDU30’s mind, but it’s not likely that will happen because PDU30 in his public apology already assumed full responsibility for the faux pas. And also, it’s not likely that Cong Spines will press the President for an answer.
As far as I can see, the only thing left to do is to move on, and for the Espinos to prove that they hate drugs just as much and will help make Pangasinan drug-free!
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RESPECT FOR THE LAW. I have noted the assertive and courteous stance of Dagupan POSO enforcers in enforcing the ‘no parking’ rule along A.B. Fernandez Ave. It’s exactly what the doctor prescribed for the slow movement of traffic in the commercial business district. Take a bow guys!
But there are still two things they obviously hesitate to act on– the practice of business establishments making their frontage their private parking for their vehicles or their customers, or extension of their operations. To prevent others from parking in their ‘reserved’ areas, they place cartons, old tires, signboards, etc. to ward off desperate motorists in need of a parking space. An illegal practice like that is a job for POSO!
Then to make POSO consistent with its new image as a strict enforcer, it should remove signboards that carry rules it cannot enforce. Take the signboard in front of the Region 1 Medical Center. Just 10 meters way from the sidewalk totally occupied by vendors, is the sign “No vendors allowed on the sidewalk!”
The police sub-precinct and POSO in the area only have one choice – to remove the sign and allow the vendors on the sidewalk, or remove the vendors and keep the sign in its place. By keeping that sign while allowing vendors to ignore it doesn’t help shore respect for the law enforcers and the law.
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I mourn Claudette de Venecia-Dalusong’s passing. She was one of my late sister Karina’s best friends, and an avid supporter of The PUNCH. In fact, she once wrote a weekly column for us. Go with the Lord, Claudette!
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