Turning Villarroyo orange
LITO BANAYO
Malaya
March 27, 2010
‘Doesn’t Gibo see that the Garcias would not do anything without securing approval from their patroness, La Doña Gloria?’
CONJURE in your minds the green balimbing turning orange. Money Villarroyo three weeks ago in Davao used the pongkan as symbol. Except that he’s unfamiliar with the Davao pongkan. It hardly turns orange. Davao pongkan is green, just like its mandarin oranges. Must be the climate. When Hans Menzi yet had his citrus farms in Mati and elsewhere in Davao, he procured in the Seventies what agricultural technologists called a "de-greening" facility, where green pongkans and mandarins, including the native-bred Valencia oranges were placed in some kind of machine that neutralized the green fruit pigmentation and turned them into a pale yellow. Later, with the use of food-safe color dyes, Menzi turned Valencia and mandarins into orange. Parang "Sunkist" the then "stateside" and expensive orange brand.
Villarroyo’s symbol should really be the balimbing (starfruit) . But wonder if a balimbing can naturally turn orange? No, they turn into a pale yellow when they are over-ripe. And from a sour taste, the balimbing metamorphoses into bland, even "mapakla".
While in Davao, Villarroyo proudly declared that "many Pa-La-Ka’s will soon swear into his Nacionalista Party". A week or so before, Gov. Erico Aumentado, along with his vice-governor, Julius Herrera who is the Villarroyo candidate to succeed him, called his mayors to a grand show of "loyalty" to the NP presidential candidate. Aumentado may not be in the league of Joc Joc Bolante as far as being an icon of corruption, but they are now both declared Villarroyo loyalists. Bolante for governor of Capiz and Aumentado to join Gloria and Mikey, Dato and Iggy in Congress. Aumentado would likely be deputy speaker for the Visayas once more, under "Speaker" Gloria Arroyo come July 26, IF…
The other day, Joe Zubiri, the governor of Bukidnon and erstwhile Pa-La-Ka loyalist, also shed off his green pigment and turned flaming orange, along with his mayors. In 2007, when it became clear that his son Migs was fighting Koko Pimentel for the last slot in the senatorial derby, Manong Joe went to Andal Ampatuan Sr. and asked for succor. Ampatuan Sr. got permission from Malacañang, and true enough, the Maguindanao factory where Lintang Bedol was the Ampatuan encargado, produced for the young Zubiri the margin needed to overcome Koko.
Now Koko’s father Nene and his sister Gwen appear in television ads of Money Villarroyo, the latter in fact hoping to precede her brother as senadora, in the tradition of Alan Peter and Pia, the Cayetano loyalists of Villarroyo. What happens now to Koko’s case at the Senate Electoral Tribunal? Who will a (God forbid) President Villarroyo favor – old "reliables" (ropa vieja) like Nene and his brood, or new balimbings like the Zubiris?
Since Migs is a fairly decent chap, he must be crushed. Which is why he has declared that his heart remains with kawawang Gibo, and the latter bravely says he will expel Zubiri from Pa-La-Ka. Ha, ha, ha.
Not to be outdone, the Garcias of Cebu, minus Gwen la gobernadora, have shed off their green skin and molted into bright orange. When Gwen will likewise join the orange wagon is just a matter of time. Meantime, to show that she has enough "palabra de honor," she will hold a huge rally to support Gibo in Argao, Cebu over the weekend. Doesn’t Gibo or Nikki Prieto-Teodoro yet see through all these? That the Garcias would not do anything without securing approval from their patroness, La Dona Gloria?
In fact last Monday, the country’s most powerful gentleman tendered a belated birthday luncheon for his special friend, a lady stock broker. Bankers and big businessmen close to both were invited. There, the powerful gentleman bared the latest findings of their in-house survey, with Noynoy Aquino 11 points ahead of Money Villarroyo, and their certified Pa-La-Ka candidate Gilbert languishing still in single-digit territory.
One of those in attendance was Winston Garcia of GSIS, who then proudly told his patron that their family in Cebu would soon announce their switch to Villar. "On or before the start of the local campaign (March 26)", he promised. And the powerful gentleman nodded happily.
Yesterday, the broadsheets proclaimed the great switch to Villar, which Winston on Monday promised the powerful gentleman. Villarroyo, mismo!
But the dishonorable Villarroyo proclaims on television how "Opo! Oposisyon" he and his pack are. With Gilbert Remulla of the land-grabbing clan invoking how he hates mandaraya’s (bati na kayo ngayon ni RR?), and Adel Tamano defaming the memory of the late FPJ by invoking the poor victim of electoral cheating, just to disprove that his new boss, Villar, is not in reality a Villarroyo. He, he, he.
So does this mean Winston, who has been lording it over the multi-billion pension funds of government employees for the last nine years and a half, will remain as the lord and master of GSIS if Villarroyo wins? Most likely, unless he has his sights on replacing Romy Neri at SSS.
My friend, the multi-awarded writer Krip Yuson, sent me an SMS after reading about the great switch, and it read: "Nagsanib-sanib na ang mga mandurugas. Kakuntsaba ng palasyo ang mga trapong nanganganib mawalan ng kapangyarihan….Lumaban tayo gamit ang ating mga puso. At ipakitang ang marangal na Pinoy ay ‘di mabibili."
First Joc Joc Bolante. Then Aumentado. Then Zubiri. Now Garcia. Can Garci and Abalos be far behind?
Some did their Judas act on Gibo before Holy Week. Many more will prefer to do their Judas acts after Semana Santa. And all of them with the nihil obstat or the secret imprimatur of Doña Gloria y su esposo.
***
Another friend, a retired colonel who was once one of FVR’s most trusted managers, and whose integrity is unquestioned, sent me this funny text message:
"We need a land grabber to get Sabah. Vote Villarroyo and get Sabah back".
Oo nga naman.
***
Just as we were writing this article, word came from the radio that the country’s most powerful gentleman was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital at The Fort. Even if he hates this writer as much as I dislike him, I will not wish him ill.
As we approach Semana Santa, let us all pray for the benighted land.
***
(banayo_at@yahoo.com)
Comments