Think about it
Duterte, De Venecia, Duque in focus
By Jun Velasco
“He has half the deed done, who has made a beginning,” Homer
WE call it DDDD, that big event last Wednesday in Dagupan.
What’s DDDD? It is Dagupan, Davao, Duterte and Duque, haha!
Don’t get us wrong, the pun is zeroing in on a punchy event that might lead to something big, significant, phenomenal in our milieu, in our beleaguered nation.
Since Day 1 of his column items for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte, our “fire player” columnist Gonz Duque has never slackened in his zealous promo so much so that some people now call him “Duquer-te.”
There are his kindred souls in Manila, his fellow Bedans (Duque and Duterte finished law in San Beda) and in Mindanao who picked up the advocacy of his columns that has reached Duterte himself who, we were told, was moved to tears that a columnist from Luzon — Dagupan particularly — would pick up his ardent, impassioned advocacy for federalism as a political ideal.
At the Lyceum Northwestern University and Le Duc Hotel where Rody Duterte spoke before students and Rotarians, we noticed a spontaneous kinship that we told Cotabato Gov. Manny Pinol, could lead to the presidency.
Is he fit for the presidency?
We thought it was a Binay-Mar Roxas arena, of which we know is obvious.
Before the Dutertes’ reign in Davao, reputedly, the largest city in the world in land area, there was killing fields, rampant lawlessness and criminality, everything bad all over.
When Rody, a former prosecutor and son of former Governor (Vicente Duterte and a school teacher), came into the picture, the city’s dramatic transformation has begun.
We used to hang around the city up to the wee hours of the morning undisturbed by any molestations.
Aside from Manny Pinol, who was governor in Cotabato, we had a lot of journalist friends in Mindanao including Ben Diansay, who was our companion in a publishers’ forum in Kuala Lumpur in 2007, the late Press Secretary Gil Abarico, the brothers Charlie and the late Roger Flaviano and many others.
Thoughts on the nation under a Davaoeno leader owe their strength to Duterte’s impeccable traits as a leader.
Duterte is tough. Most wannabes are soft and weaklings.
Duterte is from Mindanao, who knows its problems and idiosyncrasies. All wannabes are from Luzon.
Duterte is well-known nemesis of drug lords, criminal syndicates and the lawless.
Duterte has no Imelda who would be a problem later.
Duterte is not corrupt unlike one presidential bet we know.
Most of all, Duterte is not a bolaric speaker, i.,e. not mabola, we know that ang mga botante ay galit o pagod na sa mga bombastic speakers, mga magagaling mambola.
The nation loves action leaders like Rody Duterte.
* * * *
We were not able to join the hundreds of well-wishers who trooped to Sampaguita Pictures Garden to greet Congresswoman Gina P. de Venecia on her birthday on February 16.
Aquarians, you know, are known for their passion for cosmic and humanitarian love for mankind they make good artists, avant garde and public servants.
Her birthday fell on the same day Governor Amado “Spines” Espino Jr. was to deliver his state of the province (SOPA) at the Capitol.
There was something in his SOPA that would make good news copy, no, not his rosy performance card which his writers would find delightful to write because of their substantial content. He is an outstanding performer by any yardstick.
Our journalist’s instinct smelled some unusual thing or things might happen during the SOPA.
It must have happened lightning quick we didn’t see Mark stealing the scene again for being the first to go up the stage to shake the hand of Spines, while he was busy receiving hugs and kisses from Capitol people and admirers.
At the same time, we heard, Mark was on a hand-gladding spree, too. Some people thought Pangasinan had two governors.
Where was Pogi then?
Butch says he must be in the sidelines. Ayaw pumapel kasi it’s erpat’s day.
Back to Gina’s birthday. Our first visit to Sampaguita Pictures, venue of her birthday party, was in 1964 when we were a journalism student of Professor Joe Quirino who took us to local Hollywood.
We were awe-struck in our meeting the lanky matinee idol Eddie Gutierrez and the Vera-Perez grand couple, the parents of Manay Gina.
As everyone knows, JDV’s Valentina is stunningly fit as his successor, and the mere conjuring talk of her becoming a senator is good news..
Why not?
Manay Gina is extremely popular, has a network of supporters and is a superb organizer.
We’re told she can still easily cruise to the Top Five if Sampaguita Pictures stars turn up en masse in her senatorial campaign.
If this is true, could JDV be eyeing — or being eyed — for his old post?
Or is it Joey III?
Any which way the Fourth District congressional seat would be a walk in the park for the De Venecias.
It’s Gina going to the Senate that makes exciting copy.
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