by Diego Morra
Scenario-building is an art and it takes those with superior intelligence to engage in that game and craft, rather meticulously, a completely believable story, much better than those peddled by two-bit “creative” directors or advertising executives with a proven track record the extraordinary management of lies.
The latest story churned out about the “distribution” of P805-billiion in cash to a cast of “grafters” like the former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima and other people hated viscerally by Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio is, for all intents and purposes, an insult to the “noble” profession of truth fabrication. The narrative would make Goebbels turn in his grave. After Orly Guteza botched his starring role at the Senate armed with a fictitious affidavit and despite the coaching by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, the directors of the show staged for four bogus ex-Marines as well as 14 other dishonorably discharged troopers should have been cancelled as well.
Yet, the show must go on, all because there needed to be a distraction to the much-awaited confirmation of charges hearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Denied the proscenium in The Hague, Sara could not steal the thunder from the hearing, where the cold, hard facts were disclosed about mass murder committed by Rodrigo Duterte and his minions so the next best thing was the squid game, and alleging that all those who crossed her and her father, were grafters par excellence, receiving money stashed in the “mahiwagang maleta.” Zaldy Co’s yarn about the same “maleta” yarn about Bongbong Marcos was repeated, with the delivery boys bringing the money to wrong Ilocos Norte address.
Lawyer Levi Baligod also admitted that the inclusion of de Lima’s name in the list of grafters was a “mistake,” as disastrous a mistake as claiming Rodrigo Duterrte’s nemesis received the money before she was even elected as a party-list representative. Baligod’s apology will not mean much since his Marines apparently had perjured and became “useful idiots” in a bad show. Pathetic, Attorney, even as the inclusion of former ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro as a recipient of dirty money could have been an afterthought. Sara considers Castro as her nemesis, the one who exposed the waste of “confidential and intelligence funds” (CIF) in the dying days of 2022. Since she was entitled to ZERO CIF in 2022, spending P125-million in December 2022 was, ipso facto, illegal.
Blasting away at de Lima was actually a giveaway since Rodrigo Duterte never forgave her lecturing him about his role as defender of human rights in his Davao City kingdom. Blame the late Fr Amado Picardal and Human Rights Watch (HRW) for exposing the Davao City killings that prompted de Lima, then the chief of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), to protect people and not kill them. Picardal was hounded for his work, prompting the Redemptorists to get him out of Davao City. Duterte was also appointed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as “crime czar” despite the bloody reports against him. Hearing the wrong story about de Lima’s profiting from infra projects must have been music to Digong’s ear, only that it was debunked like the Duterte yarn about de Lima’s being a puppet of drug lords.
After Zaldy Co’s “maleta” dispatches did not gain traction, it was strange why the highly-regarded marketing geniuses managing the Duterte troll became just too damn lazy to create a better myth, like the autonomous “maleta” that could transport dirty money from any point of the country to Forbes Park, Paoay, Leyte and any other point that has a Zip code. The advanced versions of the “maleta” can traverse highways and secure the loot without the need for any Marine to watch it. Better yet, get bomb-proof “maleta” that can be opened by the confirmed addressee. Or secure China-made drones that can transport precious freight. Sara’s creatives, or those seconded to the offices of Chavit Singson and Mike Defensor, need to undertake refresher courses under the magicians of Hogwarts.
Like the lesson from the tasteless Marcoleta Senate show, voters should find it less than amusing to waste precious time trying to investigate this “maleta” teleserye. Kapag napaso ka na sa una, wag ka nang umulit. Kasabihan nga, ang mga nagpakana ng “maleta” story ay naghanap ng kagitna at isang salop and nawala. Think of it, some commentators with close to the Duterte camp have been demanding that a thorough investigation into the allegations of the 18 dubious Marines. If the allegations do not pass the smell test and if the narration cannot hew closely to scientific proof, is there any sense staging the clown show?
The Duterte camp will not stop engaging in ploys to weaken the administration especially after the declaration of Sara that she will run for presidency in 2028 after bungling her job as education secretary and as Vice President. She was actually humored and funded in 2022 to run for the second highest position in government to prevent the Dutertes from putting up their own bet against Bongbong. Yet, her performance was not only sub-par but also became an occasion for squandermania, which is the reason why she is facing four impeachment complaints. She still wants to be president. She is entitled to her delulu.#
