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Malacañang Cuteness, Search Committee, and some Post Election Dystopia

Imagine a football game where more than 2 teams are playing and each player are playing not for their team but for their own individual glory of getting the ball for a touchdown. Now that is one pandemonium that will be a sight to see and it seems something similar is going on complete with the usual but more intense scramble, pushing, and tackling going on over at the palace by the murky Pasig River. What precipitated the boot licking was due to Liberal Party spokesperson Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III saying that Aquino may retain some members of the Arroyo Cabinet but will of course depend on the yet to be formed or may have already been formed search committee by Aquino.

To say that the people at the Malacañang were elated is an understatement, delusional for most is most likely even dystopian to borrow my idol Senadora Miriam Santiago’s fancy high falutin terminology. It was almost impressive to see outgoing deputy Garcified presidential spokesman Rogelio Peyuan saying all the right things except for some quirks here and there that got me flabbergasted. I must admit I was bowled over and could not contain myself bursting in uncontrollable laughter at what seems like a finale punch line of a stand up comic when he offered his unsolicited advice below:
If we are to make a suggestion, he should pick somebody who is cute, smiling, clean-smelling, so he will have a clear outlook on how to run the Republic. They should have a good sense of judgment.
Who is this guy Rogelio Peyuan, is he really serious? Huh, cute? Are you serious, did he really say that? Well, if he thinks he is cute he is dead wrong and if that is the criteria there will be no one, yes I repeat no one will qualify. C’mon, we have seen these very high profile cabinet members and they are not exactly cute but more on the nakakatakyut (scary) side. Heck no, there is no way someone is cute or trying hard to be cute when they are more like the take no prisoner surrender is no option type. Now what’s up with that? I hate conspiracy theories but from the looks of it this is a subtle endorsement for would be retained or desperately wanting to remain in their position like midnight appointee Renato Corona to go see at their own risk (even untimely death from massive infection) cosmetic surgeons hopefully not the quacks responsible for leaking boobies and deadly butt augmentations and dinged dongs.

Ok, just because we all know that Noynoy Aquino is a bachelor it does not mean he is a sexual pervert, there is no need for him to be surrounded by smelling good, and always smiling cuteness; he has Shalani Soledad for a fiancée fer cryin’ out loud, or was that how it is in Gloria Arroyo’s acuteness errr cuteness reign? If it is a joke, Rogelio Peyuan risks having the same fate of getting fired by the whimsical one like his predecessor Glorialie errr Lorelie Fajardo. If Peyuan think he is indispensable like Renato Corona, he is in for a big surprise.

Speaking of CJ Renato “Midnight” Corona, I was wrong that he accidentally sat on his cheat errr seat laden with super glue. It appears that he may have put all his eggs in Gloria Arroyo’s basket thus he has no choice but to slug it out..... as in who cares about ethics this is about self-preservation. His voting records are mostly favorable to Gloria Arroyo and his wife it appears has been very “successful” career wise under and courtesy of Gloria Arroyo. It is a smart move for Corona to tell his wife to resign effective June 30, but I doubt it if that will effectively remove the questions on his integrity or if it will be seen as a joke on us if we go by Jarius Bondoc’s Gotcha article below:
But there’s a pesky item. Corona’s wife Cristina is an official in the executive branch. Soon after Corona became justice in 2002, Arroyo made Cristina a board director of John Hay Management Corp., a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion Development Authority. In Mar. 2007 she promoted her to chairman-president. Cristina functions as CEO and COO.

How Cristina came to hold all the positions shows her clout with the President. As JHMC director she refused to sign any of the board minutes but regularly drew her per diem. When she rose to chairman-president she withheld the minutes from the directors’ ratification, then created and filled up high managerial positions without board assent. The assistant corporate secretary and internal auditor reported cases of misconduct. Managers swore about being ordered to deliver office equipment to her (two mobiles, three PDAs, a laptop, and a copier-printer-scanner-fax, but refusing to sign receipt. The directors confronted Cristina in June 2007. Arroyo ordered all of them to resign and retained Cristina as chairman-president. Since then the Baguio mayor and congressman have complained about her firing their constituents in violation of a city council resolution. The Commission on Audit has red-flagged unnecessary expenses incurred by her holding extra office in Quezon City instead of Baguio. She remains at the top of JHMC.

His wife’s executive rank puts Corona’s independence in question. The Judicial Code of Conduct forbids judges from letting family and social ties from influencing their conduct and decisions. The prestige of judicial office may not be used or lent to advance private interests, especially those of family members. Judges and family members may not solicit or accept any gift, bequest or favor in connection with performance of judicial duty.

Stretching the imagination, one may say that Corona does not let his wife’s executive position get in the way of independent judicial rulings. Still, the Code specifically states that judges shall not only be free from inappropriate connection with or influence by the executive and legislative, “but must also appear to be free therefrom to a reasonable observer.”
Speaking of joke, what’s up with Jejomar Binay joking about being the first black vice-president? Ok, at least no one can accuse him of having ties with the Arroyo’s and everyone knows that Gloria Arroyo is not fond of him. No not because he is not cute, but certainly his former mistress thinks otherwise or was it the cuteness of having a deep pocket? We need to ask Senadora Miriam Santiago if that qualifies in her dystopian concept not on free wheeling ethics but on cuteness. How else can we explain the fact that instead of getting affected by the scandal his popularity soared and almost with certainty at this point to be proclaimed the vice-president elect?

Now what’s up with the chizzy one? Chiz Escudero probably meant well when he urges Aquino to reveal the identity of the search committee for transparency. It is not the individuals that is important but the vetting process that will make a difference. Besides, when majority of the people gave Aquino a landslide victory, it translates into giving him our full trust and confidence that his search committee will be composed of individuals with proven integrity and honesty…. After all that is the mandate the electorate gave him and the platform of governance we expect out of him. The priority is to set a parameter on the vetting process, then once that is settled the people who are task to do the job must of course believe and live up to it. If they are perceived doing the opposite then it defeats the very purpose of the advocacy for change. The disadvantage of revealing the identities of the committee members will just complicate and the likelihood of failure is not far fetched. The present political realities where jockeying for positions, horse trading, high pressure influence peddling, debt of gratitude and vested interest is very real as seen in the past. We really can’t expect greedy people in high places used to the old corrupted ways of subverting even the constitution to miraculously transform into saints in an instant, what more with a simple vetting process on appointments to the corridors of power?

Vigilance in the proper context is a good thing otherwise it becomes vigilantism which sadly is illegal and we don’t want our people morphing into vigilantes. Chiz Escudero definitely has ambitions to be president one of these days and there is nothing wrong with that, but to realize that dream it is not enough that while it appears that the result of the election seems to favor him he has to choose his talking points well. Otherwise, he might be in for a big surprise and hopefully not the one wished for by Bob Arum in still being in this earthly place on Congressman Manny Pacquiao. I am hoping that Arum will change his mind as we did nothing wrong against him for him to unleash such humiliation on us.

Speaking of vigilance, did people who wants Kris Aquino to leave the country voted for Noynoy Aquino because they thought that was part of his platform? Now whoever did not tell that ought to be held responsible that they can’t hold Kris Aquino on what was clearly a conditional statement. Guess what, if it is causing people some grief there is that small device called remote control that is very useful in changing channels if they can’t stand Kris Aquino. Heaven forbid what if she succumbs to the pressure and actually leave the country, what has the people in her destination country did to deserve her. Ok, it’s just a joke, I actually have no problem with Kris Aquino but I also am not a big fan of her show like Willie Revillame’s Wowowee. Heck, I only watch Filipino news and that alone gives me so much grief what more if I watch those shows, I think I am better off doing some self-flagellation thingy to ease my misery…….

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