Punchline
Is ‘Operation Talsik Joe’ on?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
I hope our readers will oblige us with a bit of breast-beating this once, crowing if you may, but we in the PUNCH are absolutely on Cloud 9, exhilarated over our being adjudged last week as the country’s Best Edited Weekly Community Newspaper for this year’s version of the Philippine Press Institute’s Annual Community Press Awards!
What makes the award truly meaningful to us is the fact that it is the institute that seeks out the newspapers and the winners are eventually chosen by a board of judges composed of distinguished journalism practitioners. Unlike other journalism awards, nomination by their owners or editors is not allowed in this prestigious awards program. Instead, the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication conducts its own independent research on newspapers that are committed to uphold the journalists’ code of ethics.
This is the first time the PUNCH was awarded the plum prize. Over the past decade, the PUNCH has been cited by the same awards program for being the best in business and economic reporting, environment reporting, photojournalism and editorial page.
It was in 1964 when the PUNCH (under my father’s watch) earned its first national award for excellence in journalism practice. It was adjudged the “Provincial Newspaper of the Year” by the Esso-National Press Club.
***
For myself, I cannot thank our loyal staff enough – our hard core journalists on board (Ding Micua, Eva Visperas, Andy Estrada, Jess Garcia, and Marifi Jara, our latest proud addition), the untiring staff and contributing photojournalists (Ray Zambrano, Cesar Ramirez, Willy Lomibao) and of course, our hard-hitting political columnists (Gerry Garcia, Jun Velasco, Gonz Duque, Al Mendoza), our agri and social columnists (Sosing Pablico and Emmanuelle), cartoonists (Pons Decena and his son Jeremy) our lean and mean production and online/admin staff (Julie Ann Arrogante, Joy dela Cruz, Rhod Ibasan, Errol Solis and Rolly Dioquino) for making sure the PUNCH is always at the forefront.
Yes, they all made this latest and past journalism awards possible. For a community newspaper that doesn’t have a printing press to its name, no editor-publisher out in the countryside can ask for more!
I have a great team for Pangasinan, that’s for sure.
***
THEY WERE SERIOUS! When I admonished both camps of Speaker JdV and City Mayor Benjie Lim last week to “Be serious” and to stop threatening each other with formal complaints, little did I know that JdV’s lawyers were not kidding. They filed their promised complaint. That they were serious bodes well for the political maturity of this country.
Filing cases for violation of election laws is preferred to shooting each other’s supporters!
But will the cases prosper? Well, that’s another story.
***
IS ‘OPERATION TALSIK JOE’ ON? Now that the Comelec appears ready to move against JdV over his alleged vote-buying in the district, one cannot but wonder if the Malacanang occupants actually pushed Comelec Chair Ben Abalos to fan the fire since a possible disqualification through no fault of theirs fits perfectly in their well-kept secret scenario to oust JdV as Speaker.
What can be a more perfect cover for the set-up than to include the Arroyos’ favorite attack dog, Justice Sec. Raul Gonzales, the children of Pagcor boss Efraim Genuino, and yes, Pacquiao the Pacman in the investigation!
Was the first shot fired to signal the launching of the “Task Force Talsik Joe”?
Hmmm…. abangan.
***
KILLING TWO BIRDS. To ostensibly impress upon the public further that the Arroyo government is serious about election reforms, it would not be farfetched to see Mrs. Arroyo make calls to Comelec to act on the complaint filed by the Speaker against my favorite mayor Benjie with dispatch!
Indeed, the filing of complaints on vote-buying offer Mrs. Arroyo the rare chance to kill two birds with one stone – JdV as Speaker and BSL as a hated member of the opposition!
I’m certain Mrs. Arroyo would be the happiest to see a Mr. Juan Siapno emerge finally as the representative of the fourth district! Don’t laugh now, this is a serious matter.
***
THAT ELUSIVE INC VOTE. Not a few have observed that Speaker Joe de V appears to be running scared in this year’s election. It’s a first for him. Is it about the air of confidence that my favorite mayor exudes the past week? Not quite.
JdV’s true-blue supporters insist it’s a strategic mindset that the Speaker personally opted for not because my favorite mayor is gaining on him but because he wants to make sure Benjie learns his most bitter lesson in politics.
But my trusted and astute political observer Mr. Y thinks otherwise. He believes all the public dancing, baby kissing and insurance cards (which others view as so unstatesmanlike in stark contrast to his usual demeanor) are indicators that the durable JDV is not taking any chances. He wants to make doubly sure that he has enough vote insurance of his own tucked under his belt if only to be certain that he has more than enough to compensate for a possible loss of the vaunted Iglesia vote.
It appears the Iglesia has put my favorite mayor on equal footing with the Speaker. Hmmm…..
***
FAKING THE FG. Remember the picture of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo looking hale and hearty, lounging around his hospital suite with Mrs. Arroyo and their grandchild, barely 2 weeks after that high-risk surgery? It certainly looked like he didn’t even lose an inch from his waistline after prolonged tubal feeding.
Well, those who suffered minor heart attacks aplenty shortly after the FG was found seriously ill desperately want to believe that it reflected the true state of health of the powerful FG. Ask those who have been having those heart attacks since they were left to fend for themselves to accomplish their assigned tasks for “special operations” in this year’s election. Without the big boss, there has been no one who could be as deliberate if not scheming and cunning in actualizing the plans. Ergo, to them the picture was genuinely recent, and a picture of good things to come. He should be OK, they insist, naturally for their own peace of mind.
But there are those who’ve been through much the same medical procedure and they swear nobody but nobody can look so good in so short a time. They insist that the picture was taken when the FG underwent coronary angioplasty in December last year, not out of the latest surgery. Repairing an aorta and angioplasty are worlds apart when compared in their level of severity.
The question is – why did Malacanang find it necessary to lie about the FG’s health? Not that I wish him ill but that picture flashed and published in the news but I, too, think that it was as fake as the Rolex watch being peddled around the city hall for P2,000!
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
