The big sulk

Prospero Nograles is sulking. He was president of Lakas. When it was merged with Kampi to become Pa-La-Ka, he became vice-chairman and senior adviser. Then, Gilbert Teodoro, who was named party chair as well as presidential candidate, suddenly resigned, after he was told the “final truth” about the Villarroyo alliance.

The marching orders were barked to Winston Garcia in a lunch meeting on March 22, where someone most powerful showed the latest Junie Laylo survey for Ricky Razon’s Manila Standard. At the time, the spread between Aquino and Villar had risen to 11 points, while before the Nacionalistas were preening about the “statistical tie” of a 2 point-lead. Sadly, Gibo’s numbers languished at 6 points.

“We gave him all the support”, said someone most powerful. Quoted was a whopping figure with nine zero’s, which I doubt they really gave to Gibo. Or they must have sent it through a courier, and the courier made a huge “kotong”.

But Winston said his sister Gwen was “otra cosa”, “gahi ang ulo”. The most powerful smiled wryly, “Ganun ba?”

Three days later, someone most powerful was rushed to the ultra-posh St. Luke’s Global. But the day before, Cebu City mayoralty candidate Alvin Garcia, Winston’s first cousin, began the show of allegiance to Manny Villar. And the governor of Cebu, Gwen Garcia, as predicted by her brother Winston, was “otra cosa”. Gahi gyud ang ulo.

Then that weekend, Gobernadora whispered to Gibo who was in Cebu, that someone most powerful called her up days before after Winston gave up on convincing her. To her credit, she stood her ground. Or did she really? Is this what old folks using pidgin Spanish used to describe as “jele-jele bago quiere”?

Gibo was fuming mad, and after talking to his council of advisers as Holy Week began, decided to resign as party chair. Pa-La-Ka was in mortal crisis, because shortly thereafter, young Migs Dominguez, Gibo’s hand-picked party president, also tendered his irrevocable resignation.

All of a sudden, St. Luke’s Global was not the quiet sick bay it was supposed to be, especially on Holy Week when even the country’s top specialists were either in Hongkong or parts beyond. Trapos trooped to the hospital, not necessarily to commiserate with the sick, but to hear the most powerful one decide who ought to succeed Gibo as party chair. Lo and behold, on Holy Thursday, Amelita “Girlie” Villarosa was proclaimed party chair, by diktat of the party’s most powerful, the source of manna and pork and all other “goodies”.

And so was poor Prospero of Davao City, Speaker of the House, vice-chair of Pa-La-Ka and senior adviser, bar topnotcher at that, by-passed in favour of his deputy, this woman called Girlie, from the hillbilly-hick province of Occidental Mindoro (with apologies to the natives of this beautiful province kept so dark and desperate because of a surfeit of feudal leaders), gets to be party Chair. The Speaker’s academic credentials dwarf, and his political abilities make Girlie Villarosa so picayune in contrast, but the unkindest cut of all was that he was not even consulted on the leadership change. Ano siya, tau-tauhan?, the Davao-Batangueno in him must have fumed. Meanwhile, his arch-enemy, the Davao-Cebuano Mayor Rodrigo Duterte must have been sheepishly grinning --- “Merisi sa imo” (from the Spanish “merece”; in Tagalog --- “buti nga sa ‘yo”.

Thus the big sulk. But the dam has burst, and even my friend Gilbert Teodoro’s valiant index finger used to plug the hole in the dike could not stop the onrush of defections. Prospero’s big sulk presages the big switch. The signal was clear --- Dona Gloria appointed Girlie, and that means, go Villarroyo!

* * *

A reader wrote this: “Does Manny Villar also own a stall in Recto?” You could always get a fake transcript of records, a fake diploma, whatever you need, in so many stalls that line up Recto, from the corner of Rizal Avenue to a little past Morayta.

So you need fake medical or psychological test reports? Go to Recto. And if you go way past Morayta, you reach Mendiola, and further off is Gate 7 of Malacanang. A president who faked her election, thanks to Garci, lives there too. Someone who originally came from Tondo wants to live there too. But would Filipinos go for another fake?

* * *

By Holy Wednesday, a major presidential candidate was about to call it quits. Deeply betrayed, he was advised though to hold his press conference till the Monday after Easter. The announcement was supposed to be made early in the afternoon.

The staff was ready, but they were suddenly told he would forego the earth-shaking decision. Something must have happened on Easter Sunday. Someone must have asked him to hold his horses. Which mega-billionaire could it be? Well, I will make a guess. Was he also present in the luncheon meeting where Winston was?

* * *

Meanwhile, in the district of Gibo in Tarlac, his uncle Henry is virtually unopposed. But guess who was his guest at a recent proclamation rally in Paniqui, the hometown of the Cojuangco clan?

Kris Aquino, and with her, the entire Purefoods basketball team! Tito Henry and his mayors all endorsed Noynoy, who is the son of his first cousin, the late President Cory. But Gibo’s mom, Merceditas Cojuangco-Teodoro is Henry’s older sister.

Oh well. There are Gibo’s green volunteers, led by Andrew Masigan. They have denounced the trapos who are deserting him in a press conference last Wednesday. And Malacanang quickly dispatched Deputy Spokesperson Charito Planas, wearing what else but a loose green blouse, to show that its support for the official party candidate has not waned. Consuelo de nada importa.

What a charade. Wake up Gilbert. Magluto na lang muna tayo. I heard you make a mighty good pot of caldereta.

(banayo_at@yahoo.com)

LITO BANAYO
MALAYA Column for Friday, 16 April 2010