Does Gina know JdV’s other secret weapon?

By Gonzalo Duque

THE just concluded elections gave us valuable lessons in life.

There’s a Tagalog saying, “Kung ano ang itinanim, siya rin ang aanihin.”

The other one, which seems to be more attractive, is “kung walang pera, huwag na.”

So, it’s all over now, folks, sabi da, “all is fair in politics, just like in love and war.” Only the naive and uneducated will resort to nonstop whining and grumbling that they were victims of fraud, deceit and low-blow tactics.

When they entered this kind of game, these cry babies knew what to expect. So, please lang, for the good health of the public, pwede ba, pera na yang, kesyo, gumastos ng milyones, etcetera, kaya nanalo ang kalaban.” Pwede ba, please stop being amateurs!

Ganyan lang ang contest pare ko. You will even look ten feet taller if you are humble enough to say, “My opponent was better, but I’ll do better next time.”

Manelek iray totoo no mantila ka e. Di ba, Macky?  Better luck next time na lang, mga talunan.  Sabi ng kaibigan ko, “nobody lost, his victory was just postponed.”

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A cursory review of the results especially in Dagupan politics shows that even some of the winners the likes of you know who were almost losers. Hah! You are lucky that the candidates of the other side were not winnables. But your low votes were actually a repudiation of your performance as re-electionists.  I need not go into details. I’m sorry, but to me, if you don’t change your style of performance, I will again come up with that word, “clowncilor.” You all got me into coining that word. The grease money yarn almost sent you all to political has-been, but as I said, you were lucky to have un-winnable opponents. Thank God for giving you opponents of lesser stature. But as Christians, pray that you will be able to shun the stinking grease money that got into your hands as often as projects were being passed in your august (pwe) sanggunian. The public knows, but it still gave you the votes, because there was not much choice.

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As for  Speaker JdV’s landslide reelection, I have but one unsolicited advice:  show  Benjie  that you are not trapo in the negative sense that he often mouths it.  I did not agree with him, that’s why I went all out for your election. We in the education circle went all out for you.

I believe, sir, that there is a message in your reelection with that kind of margin. Please de-emphasize charter change in favor of character change.  And we can achieve this thru education.  We must uplift the young. I know that deep in your heart, you will place education uppermost in your agenda. 

Someone close to you related to me about an incident that led you to found the now   famous institution, the   De Venecia Scholarship Foundation.

At  past 6 in the evening when you and your aide could not leave the old Congress building because Edgar Jopson and his hordes of  NUSP activists had massed outside and  practically overwhelmed the building, you  retreated to your office. There you asked your aide if he could come up with  an idea  that would placate and  benefit the country’s   restless  youth. As you analyzed the root of the nation’s discontent, an idea stood out: uplift its condition thru the youths, who, as Rizal posited,  are the nation’s hope. How else would the youth be armed to be able to build or rebuild a tattered nation?

There it is, sir.  Education! Your scholarship program that started in l97l, shortly before things got out of hand and placed the country under martial law, has made many parents and their children- scholarship beneficiaries your most ardent and faithful supporters. No one can buy their loyalty, Mr. Speaker. God has been smiling on you because you’ve hit upon a great idea, education and scholarship to the youth.

 Just as Confucius has said, “give man a fish and he will eat for a day; but teach him how to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.”

That’s it, Mr. Speaker. The campaign goodies couldn’t beat the character biscuits that you  generously gave them thru  your scholarship grant  thru the years.

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May I congratulate comebacking Mayor Al Fernandez, the best friend of my brother Dr. Ado, for winning the mayoralty in landslide fashion, and also his vice, Belen Fernandez. And his entire ticket which was dented only by one win from Brian Lim’s losing party, Karlos Reyna, thanks to the still intact Reyna machinery. Oy, nakita ko ha, puspusan ang pagtrabao ni Ope and Manny Baby!  The only casualty, ironically, was a hardworking councilor, Alex de Venecia. Mali ang dating ng nawalang P3 millon sa mga botante e. Sayang.  Alex was a good councilor.  His loss amidst his uncle’s scoring a most dramatic and glorious victory in this congressional fight is indeed very sad. But I know Alex,  babangon yan, a wiser and  better man.  Let’s pray that our new officials   will   deserve the public’s mandate.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/)

 

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