Something’s Happening Here

Wait, wait. Something’s happening here. I can’t really put my finger on it. But I think something’s really happening here. Something’s happening behind and before supposed demotions, resignations and lunch meetings. What are they doing behind those walls and closed doors. (One thing’s for sure. It has full air conditioning there. It’s too hot out here.)

One day, we get the news that former President now incumbent Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been removed from her position. What was it again? Oh, it’s Senior Deputy Speaker. That’s number two to the Speaker Martin Romualdez. (Isn’t that so cool? While former US President George W. Bush attends local events and hosts barbecues in Dallas, his contemporary in the Philippines is busy with legislation with K to 10+2, which when addition is performed, still totals to K to 12.) At first, I didn’t think much of it. I thought to myself, “Okay, she was removed from a position which might not really be that big of a deal.

Then, the next day, Vice President Duterte resigns (not from the vice presidency or from DepEd) from membership in Lakas, a political party which reached its peak of influence in the Ramos administration many years back when brownouts were a regular event in the afternoon. Well, Lakas is still the biggest party in Congress. You have to give it up to them. Despite the rollercoaster of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, Liberal party and PDP-Laban, the party’s still kicking it strong. Why does she have to resign anyway? Is it election season? I know stuff like this only happens when politicians have to ally themselves with other parties for machinery to reach voters. But what’s coming up? I know there’s a supertyphoon coming. But election is too far off. Those two events happened in succession in a matter of days. Don’t tell me it’s just a coincidence. Don’t tell me, the former President just decided to lay low, and the incumbent VP just resigned just for the heck of it. Come on!

Then the next scene is business tycoon Manny Pangilinan having the two parties: Congresswoman GMA and VP Duterte together for lunch. What’s up? Whose birthday is it? Why wasn’t I invited? Yeah, I know. We’re not close. Why do I get the feeling like some middle guy invited his quarreling friends so they could kiss and make up? Something’s really happening here.

Something’s happening here. I just came home to news of recanting of self-confessed murderers of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. Yes, these are the alleged and suspected murderers which relegated a suspended Filipino congressman to the level of ISIS. You have to stand back and wonder how something like that happens. Well, just recently, the four suspects in the slay of the governer withdrew their confessions. All of a sudden, they’re saying, ooops, actually, we didn’t do it. What’s happening here? I thought recanting is just a trend in the De Lima case. It seems that Degamo is following suit. To make matters clear, four of the eleven have recanted statements involving suspended Congressman Arnie Teves (the one who’s been jumping nations trying to seek asylum) as mastermind in the murder which has sent the whole nation spinning as of late. Allegedly, they were coerced and tortured into confessing by the police. (That’s not something incredulously new.) Wait up for a while, haven’t the DOJ guys been telling us that the police in Negros are so scared to stand their ground in fear of the one behind the murder? We were given the impression of a lawless province which needed some serious peacekeeping. (They painted it so bad, I thought Negros Oriental could be ranked next to Kiev. Now, it turns out that the police are allegedly unfairly on the side of the slain governor. All along, they were telling us that Congressman Teves got Negros in the tight grip of his hands. Now, something is happening here.

Even since the start, I have had difficulty wrapping my head around the idea that Congressman Teves’ is the major mastermind of the crime. DOJ Secretary Remulla has worked hard to insist that indeed the congressman is the one behind it; no one else. He had released teasers like movie trailers leading to pointing guilt to the government official who clearly is not their friend. In the investigation, there were witnesses, CCTV footages, confessions. Then all Congress gangs up on their classmate Teves. I don’t remember something like this happening to convicted child rapist former Congressman Romeo Jalosjos.

Now, a foot of the table just cracked and collapsed tilting the board sending the china, glasses and cutlery, along with the mesh of food crashing down the floor. How are they going to fix this? Something is happening here.

“But test everything; hold fast what is good.” -1 Thessalonians 5:21