What’s this we are hearing that our old friend Morris is planning to stage a comeback in the May 2022 political exercise?
All the time we thought he had gone into quiet retirement in Australia, tearfully licking his wounds following his surprise defeat in 2019 at the hands of civic leader Mark Go, a painful loss from which he was not expected to recover.
We do not think, however, that Domogs is aching to have a rematch with Go.
Always astute and never stupid when it comes to politics, Go and Congress are no longer in Domogs’ sights – as per our reliable instincts.
Right now, recapturing City Hall is foremost in his mind.
But wait up. Isn’t the crafty Benjamin Magalong a more formidable foe? Politics is propaganda and Magalong’s “war chest” is full of it.
The idea is to project yourself as the man of the hour, a hero come to save the day.
It’s what they teach in military school.
Notice how the men in uniform strut about like fine feathered peacocks who can do no wrong.
It makes you want to throw up.
Fidel Ramos is a shining example.
First, he snitches on his friend and ally, Juan Ponce Enrile, on the latter’s plans to oust Cory, together with his RAM boys.
The “God Save the Queen” project is scuttled, and Cory promptly fires Enrile as her Defense Minister.
In a party convention as to who would be the Laban presidential standard bearer, Ramon Mitra, Jr. is chosen over Ramos.
Ramos reneges on his word and runs anyway, launching his presidential bid at the Sulo Hotel with computer whizzes assuring him of victory.
Ramos wins, but Miriam Defensor cries that the infidel cheated her out of victory.
Nobody knows for sure, but who really can say.
In fairness to Ramos, however, he didn’t do too badly as commander-in-chief.
But going back to Enrile and Honasan.
When Marcos fled, Enrile, a civilian, had Cory installed as Revolutionary President instead of himself.
But if Honasan’s coup in 1989 had been successful (no thanks to the Americans and their phantom jets) he would not have made his former boss president, Honasan would have occupied Malacañang for himself.
The ambitions of the military border on the impossible, the kind of dreams that only the “MBSS” would dare to imagine.
By the way, President Duterte says he will not go to war against China because he does not want the blood of the Filipino on his hands.
Truth is, China will wipe out Duterte’s entire army in a fortnite, and he will have no one to prop up his presidency. He will then face a rebellion he won’t be able to quell, with his top lawyers and other loyalists leaving him like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
But we digress.
Magalong is mayor of Baguio, and concurrently the country’s tracing czar, and at times he confuses one job for the other.
It is the same thing with his politics. He isn’t sure whether to seek reelection, or run for the Senate.
So, if not him, who will be Domogs foe or foes?
The first name that come to mind would be Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan, who is Domogs’ provincemate and former ally.
We see Ed Bilog gleefully throwing his cap “up in the air” while his followers cheer.
“Who” is unfazed. He considers both Domogs and Bilog as damaged goods, like two hookers that their patrons have grown tired of.
Manager, bigyan mo kami ng bago.
Right. But I will put my money where my mouth is.
Domogs by knockout.
Don’t take that to mean he has my vote.
In Benguet, in the days of old, political battles were often fought between an Ibaloy and a Kankana-ey, with the latter having the edge, not only because they were thicker in number, their votes were bound by kinship, so unlike every man for himself Ibaloy.
Today, things are a bit different. In the congressional race, it will be an outsider versus another outsider – one from up North, the other from deep South.
So, the issue boils down to who can or has done better for Benguet.
Not surprisingly, caretaker Eric Yap is ahead by a mile, and Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan has a lot of catching up to do.
This means Palangdan has to match Yap peso per peso, project per project. Bet even money on Yap.
Why are the doctors and experts trying to scare us to death, speaking of variants this and variants that, of possible infection even after inoculation; of the elderly and the sick, being the most vulnerable; they who pray day and night to the Blessed Mother, who say the Rosary every morning; they who put on face masks and shields when stepping out.
Putting up community pantries; selling vaccines and vaccine slots – what is it about famines, droughts, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and pandemics that bring out the best and the worst in the Filipino.
It is not true that when the Covid-19 first came to our shores, the boxes and cartons that carried them had Chinese inscriptions.
I still can’t get over the demise of Boy Good Taste. The last time I talked to him, he worried about my state of health.
