Rewind

Rewind on the past week as we were exposed to the murky waters of politics and intrigue as the former President accuses the incumbent President of drug use, and the incumbent answers in kind. Thus, if true, we have two “addicts” in our midst.
Just the other week, the past said the present had no “polvoron” (cocaine) issues. Now he claims he saw the drug watch list and lo and behold, the name of the incumbent appeared, albeit years ago.
The former President’s son (rumored to be the top drug protector during his father’s term) joined the murk and mudslinging and asked the incumbent to resign, but the senator-sister said he apologized, while the Vice President said it was “brotherly love” that made him mutter the words without thinking.
The trigger was the People’s Initiative, or the confidential funds, but the real motivation is the incumbent’s decision not to obstruct the International Criminal Court’s probe into the tokhang crimes of the past.
We, onlookers, should separate fact from fiction and stick to the basic biblical order, “Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you.” As Rico J sings, “Bago mo linisin ang dungis ng iyong kapwa, hugasan ang ‘yong putik sa mukha.”
Basic accusation, especially without proof, is not synonymous to guilt. Evidence must be at hand before casting baseless accusations and aspersions be made. We must be able sift the fact from the fiction, especially in this dark world of intrigue, where a whisper echoes louder than a booming voice. Now is the time for “divine intervention,” at kukunin na ni Lord, rewound pero age before beauty.
On the lighter side, my father Arturo who worked all his life in the business of movies starting out as a janitor, usher, and ending up managing it, often said in order for a movie to hit the tills, there must be a combination of familiar ingredients which the audience can identify with. Laughter here and there, tears of course, love scenes, love triangles, or heartwarming kids’ stuff which could melt one’s heart.
The ingredients were probably the reason why the movie Rewind (parang copied from a Korean telenovela, a Hollywood movie or book) has as of this writing reached the record-breaking P900 million mark in ticket sales making its producers (Star Cinema) laugh all the way to the bank.
It is a very Pinoy formula – husband and wife, childhood sweethearts, a child born. Wife chose being a housewife, dropping her flourishing career as a chef. Work-related stress sets in on the husband, coupled by an assistant-sexy temptress who managed to get the post he was coveting, a “marites” executive assistant. Naturally he was mean, uncommunicative, irritable, hot-tempered, and neglects the family.
He also heaps tension on people around him – an estranged father, a well-meaning mother-in-law, an over-eager sidekick, and a mysterious school electrician named Jess, who at the end of the day is the divine intervenor.
The husband did not get the coveted job, as his ninong chose the other woman. He arrogantly got drunk, quit, went on a spree, and ended the night with his sexy associate, videotaped her marites assistant, and forwarded to wifey. Next day, on the way to their son’s big piano recital, the couple argued over the video, the car crashes, and she dies.
Jess appears while he mourns in his drunken stupor and offered an extraordinary opportunity to rewind time and save the life of the woman he loves on condition that he would replace her in death. He agrees and the movie rewinds to the son’s recital and when it was time, he suffers a heart attack, dies, and wife rises from the dead. Son and mother moves on with life and she conquers her dream to be a chef while his son becomes a renowned pianist. I guess they lived happily ever after.
Old trick – a character will get to relive one critical day all over again. Miracles happen in movies and real life. It’s up to us if we buy the tale or storyline hook, line and sinker.
Sigh.