GMA, JDV will transcend personal hurts

By Gonzalo Duque

SAN FRANCISCO, California —   Most talked-about news concerning the Philippines here is the allegedly bruised relationship between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo with the latest addition of our friend, daughter Luli, on the one hand, and Speaker Joe de Venecia and his namesake junior, Joey, on the other.

“Papaano yan, Gonz, pareho kang close sa kanila, lalo na kay Gloria, at si Speaker Joe, consultant ka niya” was among the questions we are frequently asked.

We have our own personal feelings about the incident or incidents, but we’d rather keep them to our self. Shall we invoke executive privilege? Well, ika nila, kung ang nagbabatuhan ay dalawang giants, huwag na tayong makialam. But if we know the two, Ate Glo and Kuya Joe, they won’t allow the present problem to affect their professional jobs and their commitment to the Filipino people, as well as their covenant with greatness.

You see, somewhere along the way, the two, including Mike and the family for that matter, and for Kuya Joe’s part, he too, and Joey, will, transcend the personal and give way to the larger interest.

That’s why, big brod, Dr. Ado, is correct,  when he said  that they, GMA and Joe de V, will not allow any personal  hurt, as we presume the broadband controversy  must have caused, to deter them from pushing the country to higher levels of growth and development. Parehong great leaders sila, and to our mind, they know what’s best.

And   for this, they each deserve our best wishes. Tutal di naman natuloy yong broadband deal e, dipo ba? Madali na ang reconciliation nila.

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Tulad din dito sa Pinas, ang mga Pinoy dito ay public issues experts. Lahat  tsampiyon sa analysis. Akala mo muling nabuhay sina Max Soliven at  Doroy Valencia, and we also have the counterparts of Ermin Garcia Jr., Jun Velasco, Gerry Garcia, Al Mendoza, and other Pangasinan journalism personalities, because Dagupeńos  here are avid readers and followers of the Punch  thanks  to  its internet edition.

As of this writing, Fil-Ams’  attention was on a damaging remark made by a film Desperate  Wives’  cast that was a putdown on a medical school in the Philippines.

It was a very irresponsible remark, and we heard, the program director has already apologized to the Filipino people.

If you ask us, that was not enough to assuage the damage it has done to the honor and character of the country especially to our medical schools, which as everyone knows worldwide, have been producing excellent doctors.

Younger   brod Dr. Francisco the III, secretary of health, has issued a rejoinder to that damaging remark. But in another possibly positive way of viewing it, we’d   rather ask our countrymen to take it as a challenge, a wake-up call that should all the more prod us to be the best we can be in every profession and endeavor we choose.

That, in our view, should be the spirit.

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We can’t understand why our officials – once   they’ve tasted power — behave like leeches.  Ayaw nang kumawala. We are reminded of the video- oke singer who doesn’t like to give away the mike once it is his hand.

In our opinion, the reason they are postponing the barangay and SK elections is that they won’t like to gamble their political positions with new faces in the barangay and SK slots. They know that karamihan sa mga incumbent ay dapat ng alisin. Seguro itong mga public officials na gusting icancel ang elections ay nagpromised sa mga yan during the campaign na derecho ang term nila at ipapawalang bisa nila ang nakaschedule na election sa October 29.

Comic awa. Lasi layan bilay. Mantalaran ira ya ed  pasnok na masa. Agda labay so ontan. Say labay da pa eleksion!

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