Political Shorts

The continuing saga and investigation of the Philippine House Committee on Good Governance and  Public Accountability on the misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President has brought up a lot of twists and turns making it a political melodrama being followed by millions of Filipinos.

These marathon hearings  ... ano man ang haba ay patuloy na sinubaybayan ng mga Pinoy ... whose thirst for scandal at tsismis is at an all-time-high ...as they glued to their seats ... to get a front-r0w glimpse of the proceedings .... expecting for more blood and controversy.

                                  *********************

Last week ... mukhang may kinahatnan na rin ang hearing. Previously, the Vice President and her minions opted to play cat and mouse with the committee. (The vice president dared, in one instance, to change some House rules when she first attended and, in another instance, challenged and surprised the lower house's valiant warriors by answering their investigations without taking an oath.) 

Other high-ranked OVP personalities snubbed the hearing by intentionally attending parties and accepting official invitations from far-flung provinces ... making themselves scarce and rubbing it to the face of the committee that their invitations to appear were not important at all.

                                  **********************

Still, others are lion-hearted and manage to continue the cat and mouse disappearance ... while the faint-hearted come in trickles ... but what really can you expect from them except being evasive ... slippery, and evanescent?

It is just like the whole OVP hierarchy has one invisible conductor at the podium ... orchestrating the whole scenario ... guiding the musicians on when and how fast or loud they will play. The conductor shapes the OVP's orchestral theme and identity ... seeing to it their performance repertoire is good ... any wrong move or false notes ... will create a disastrous melody.

                                 **********************

The game of cat and mouse continues. Despite some look-out bulletins to ensure important key OVP officials stay put and stick around on Philippine shores ... others manage to get their plane tickets off America. 

Surprisingly ... young and able bodies become ill ... all of a sudden (so predictable in Philippine politics)... was it just a mere coincidence that a medical emergency can become handy in times when you want to FIGHT ... or is FLIGHT a better alternative?

                                **********************

A friend asked, "What is a game of cat and mouse? Well, it is actually an idiom ... and when talked of as a game it involves a contrived action of constant pursuit ... near captures ... and repeated escapes.

Who is the cat in this scenario ... and who is the mouse? Gosh, do I really have to spell that out for you ... you pinhead?

                                 *********************

Near captures and repeated escapes? That sounds exciting not only to the viewers but also to the participants (the excitement of getting caught and later evade the powers-that be is one thrilling rollercoaster ride). Remember the movie Escape From Alcatraz? It is an American prison thriller that shows a prison escape from a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island. 

I have visited the area and I dare say ... escape from the island would be hard. The main reason is because the island is isolated.  Alcatraz is located in San Francisco Bay, about 1.5 miles offshore, and is isolated from land in all directions.

                                   ********************

Imagine a jailhouse in the middle of the bay overlooking San Francisco skylines ... it is just nuts to think how hard the escape would be. What makes the movie unique is its ardent desire to convince the audience that escaping thought to be "impossible" ... becomes possible. 

Imagine also how the prison head honchos feel having been fooled in broad daylight. Was this the same emotional state the Committee on Good Governance felt ... when OVP employees tried every trick in the book to dodge and escape their hearing invitations? 

Conversely ... did the OVP yes-men feel they outsmarted these congressmen ... thinking they had beaten them in their own game?

                                    ********************

That's what they thought! Now the triumvirate Acop, Chua, and Fernandez are more determined than ever to unearth these hiding night-crawlers and bring them to light.

With some of its powers, they have coordinated with immigration and NBI to be watchful for their whereabouts. Sending them repeated subpoena duces tecum is just a matter of time, and they will soon rise from their ashes. Contempt orders are also at play, holding them in contempt when they disobey or disrespect the legal process.

                                  **********************