POWER STRUGGLE: DUTERTES AND MARCOSES IN POLITICAL CHESS GAME

 

“Mr. President, kung wala kay gugma og wala kay aspiration sa imong nasod, resign!” – Sebastian Duterte, Davao City mayor

This is a heavy article. Let’s kick off with light-hearted humor from The Simpsons.

Homer: I don’t get it. Why do I have to resign?

Bart: Dad, you’re in checkmate. You can’t make any more moves.

Homer: But I don’t want to resign. I want to keep playing.

Lisa: Dad, you have to resign. It’s the rules of the game.

Homer: Fine. I resign. But I’m not happy about it.

Marge: Homer, it’s just a game. Don’t take it so seriously.

Homer: I know, I know. But I hate losing.

Power. If I may add the last word to Homer’s last line to round off the essence of the word Resign.

Mayor Duterte’s “explosive” line above was precisely calculated and declared publicly at exactly 24:23 of the 26-minute-long speech. It smacks off the crucial buzzer-beater shot in the last two minutes of the game by Laker LeBron James swishing two clutch free throws to take back the lead, and beat, 145-144, in double overtime, Steph Curry’s Warriors in a frantic finish to the highly-watched rivalry in the NBA.

To the ongoing political circus, I just gave above my best shot by adding flesh-and-blood motions to Philstar Iris Gonzales’ on-the-edge-of-your-seat prose: “Bring out the popcorn and snuggle down in your favorite seat and watch with bated breath as our dirty political landscape unravels.”

“Explosive” is the word I adapted from the message of Vyze, my nephew, who first broke the scoop to me around midnight. His chat room message suddenly popped up on my computer screen with the action-packed banner of his posted video clip: Unity team breakdown is exploding – SMNI Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa live. (Just wondering. I read a few days ago the headline “MTRCB rejects SMNI appeals on suspension/ANC.” Was the suspension already lifted?)

Right there and then, I went on watching and listening to the whole Davao City candlelight prayer speech of Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) on YouTube. (For sure, the breaking of news at warp speed through the internet is leaving in the dust the typical mechanism of mainstream media in handling scoops. No wonder, major news outlets, like CNN Philippines, have been going out of business.) FPRRD’s speech, no ifs ands or buts, was explosive as revealed by the following transcribed excerpts:

FPRRD: MAY DRUG ADDICT TAYONG PRESIDENTE

“Noong ako ay Mayor, pinakitaan ako ng evidence ng PDEA. Doon sa listahan, nandoon yong pangalan mo. Ayaw kong sabihin iyan, kasi magkaibigan tayo. Hindi man magkaibigan, magkakilala. Ikaw e, pumapasok kayo ng alanganin. Mr. President, baka susunod ka sa dinaanan ng tatay mo. Diyan ako takot. Ayaw kong mangyari sa iyo yan. Pabor lang, ako lang nagmamakaawa kasi it will divide the nation. Kasi madugo itong panahong ito.”

“Alam ninyo, kung magkalitse-litse ang buhay na ito, sabihin ko sa military, sarhan nyo ang Congress. Magastos. Nagbabayad tayo. Nag-usik-usik sa kwarta.”

“Pagkaganoon magkahiwalay-hiwalay na tayo. Magdeklara na lang tayo ng independence.”

“Pagpinilit mo ito [Public Initiative], lalabas ka ng Malakanyang kagaya noong panahon na pinalayas kayo.”

“Kung babalik ako, aarestuhin ko kayong [congressmen] lahat for swindling the Filipino people [with Public Intiative].”

“Si Bongbong Marcos, bangag noon, ngayong presidente na. Bangag ang ating presidente. May drug addict tayong presidente…Mabuti na lang wala ako sa pwesto baka kasali ka pa.”

“Mga military, maawa kayo sa bayan, kung hindi namin kaya, gawin na ninyo. Kawawa ang Pilipinas.”

“Ngayon, makinig kayong mga military. Gusto ninyo iwasan ang dugo? Kayo lang ang makapigil nito. P***** I**! Pigilan nyo yang kalukuhang iyan.”

“I am calling now the Armed Forces and the PNP. Protect the Constitution. Trabaho ninyo yan. Huwag ninyong kalimutan, you should worry about the nation, the millions of Filipinos. Wag kayong mag-isip ng isa lang na pamilya. P***** I**! Ilagay nyo sa utak yan. Bahala kayo.”

“By a stroke of faith, babalik ako dyan sa Malakanyang. Kayong lahat, kagaya ng Martial Law ng tatay mo Bongbong, kayong lahat, congressmen, doon kayo sa Crame. Ipasok ko kayo ng dalawang taon, para leksyon ninyo.”

“The real purpose of the constitutional changes through People Initiative is really to perpetuate those who are in power.”

“Kung patayin nila ako, paputukin ang eroplano, wala na tayong magawa. Kung sino? Alam mo na kung sino. Yong sa Malakanyang. Yon ang arestuhin ninyo. Sila ang nag-umpisa ng kaguluhang ito.”

PBBM: IT’S FENTANYL

Bringing into play the common strategy of counter-attacking one’s accuser’s credibility in dealing with FPRRD’s “drug addict” alleged accusation, PBBM reacted:

“Well, I think it’s the fentanyl. Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that we could buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects. FPRRD has been taking the drug for a very long time now. When was the last time he told us that he was taking fentanyl? Five or six years. Something like that. After 5 or 6 years it has to affect… kaya nga palagay ko kaya nagkakaganyan. I hope his doctor will take better care of him. Hindi pinababayaan itong mga ganitong problema.”

Lately, vehemently denying that BBM is on its watchlist, PDEA statement bannered: “PDEA says Marcos never included on gov’t drug watch list.” (Philippine Star)

Time will tell, whether or not PBBM’s strategy will do the trick in casting doubt on the reliability of FPRRD’s accusation. He is a lawyer and knows full well the impact of hard evidence in a case. Lest we forget, he was president with PDEA under his clutches for six years in his war on drugs. He still could be hiding an ace up his sleeve.

GEOPOLITICAL CHESS GAME

At this juncture, let’s shift away our focus from the King pieces – King FPRRD and King PBBM -- as we zoom out to observe the hands of the players maneuvering the match on the geopolitical chessboard – the US and China.

Much like in a high-stakes chess game, the political clash between the pro-China FPRRD and the pro-US PBBM mirrors the tension between two formidable opponents. Such a clash holds the potential to escalate into a war between the US and China, particularly in the contested waters of the South China Sea. Should the FPRRD-PBBM tensions mount and the situation deteriorates further, the specter of violence or instability looms large, threatening to draw both superpowers into the fray, either through direct intervention or subtle maneuvers to protect their respective interests and allies.

As the game unfolds, a scenario fraught with peril emerges, resembling a sudden checkmate on the political chessboard. Picture this: amid the clash between FPRRD and PBBM, a wildcard emerges, disrupting the delicate balance of power. This unforeseen twist, like a surprising knight’s move, could take the form of a coup, fundamentally altering the political landscape and sending shockwaves across the board.

Caught off guard and scrambling to reassess their positions, both the US and China find themselves in a precarious position, much like pieces suddenly threatened by an unexpected attack. This new development throws their carefully laid plans into disarray, forcing them to adapt and strategize on the fly. The South China Sea, once a focal point of their power play, now transforms into an unpredictable battleground, where every move carries significant consequences.

In this geopolitical chess match, the US and China find themselves locked in a tense standoff, each move carrying the weight of global implications. As the game continues to unfold, the world watches with bated breath, aware that the outcome of this match will shape the course of global relations for years to come.

Phew! Let’s ease up a bit by wrapping up this weighty article with a corny one-liner.

Why did the chess player go to the bank? To check his mate. End of story.

Content put together in collaboration with ChatGPT

Head collage photos courtesy of Getty Images, Vecteezy, and Boom play

Video clips courtesy of YouTube

ICC CRYPTIC MESSAGE: THE STONES WILL CRY OUT

“Be man enough. Just tell us the real score.”

Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa’s statement above grabbed recently the local newspapers’ headlines that challenged President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) to tell the truth about whether he had already allowed the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the war on drugs here in the Philippines. Interviewed by Karen Davila in ANC Digital to clarify his public statements, Bato explains:

“From the very start, Karen, I have categorically stated that I am very confident… I really trust the President. Sinabi niya sa akin yon, one-on-one, nag-usap kami, nagtiwala ako. Ako lang, just to erase the doubts… iba yong sinabi ng Pangulo, iba yong nangyayari sa ground. Tila may pagbabago yong stand nila, yong statements coming from the OSG, coming from other people, tila they are softening up or opening up the door to the ICC. So yon nga, marami pang mga marites… like mga bleeding hearts na palaging nagpafollow-up niyan.

“So, in order to shut down all these speculations, I challenged the President, pero with the premise, sabi ko nga, kung tutoo man yong sinasabi, ni former Senator Antonio Trillanes, na lalabas na yong warrant of arrest against us, then I hope that Malacañang would kindly inform us the real score, and that  please, be man enough, to tell us that na hindi na nyo kinaya ang ICC at nakapasok sila dito at nag-imbestiga at wala na kayong magawa. Please tell us, because citizen Duterte and citizen Bato are Filipinos. We are your constituents, Mr. President. So, please tell us so we will know what to do.”

“Pero, Senator, magkatapatan po tayo. May kinakatakutan po ba kayo sa ICC? Sa tutoo lang.”

“Karen, ikaw, hindi ka ba takot na mapasok sa kulongan?”

“May nagawa ba kayong... naniniwala kayong…” Davila asks.

Ibang istorya yan… Huwag natin pag-usapan yan… Bato answers.

FEAR

The innate emotion we can make out from Bato’s account is Fear of the Truth. When former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV dropped the “bombshell” about ICC’s having gathered enough evidence against former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) and a warrant of arrest may be issued “very, very soon,” such a statement undoubtedly implies that, as FPRRD’s drug war enforcer, Bato’s getting the same warrant will tag along behind.

Shortly, local newspapers bannered Bato’s reaction: “I am afraid of going to jail.” He discloses, “Takot ako na makulong dahil kawawa ang mga apo ko at hindi ko na makikita.”

Piece by piece, Bato is now watching his immovable wall slowly collapse. We recall that FPRRD during his reign erected that wall. No less than The New York Times bannered in 2019 FPRRD’s self-protective act: Philippines Officially Leaves the International Criminal Court.

The first piece from that wall crumbled after the UniTeam had imploded. With FPRRD being out of power, Bato has been looking forward to PBBM holding on to FPRRD’s resolve to keep up the wall, clinging on to PBBM’s “solid as rock” assurance that ICC cannot set foot in the country.

That was two months ago at a dinner PBBM hosted for senators in Malacañang. Today, here’s PBBM’s stance: “[ICC] can come and visit the Philippines.” Whatever “pero” comes after that sentence is as plain as the nose on Bato’s face to be just “pampalubag loob.”

Understandably, PBBM, in light of his blurry, if not myopic presidential prior vision of restoring the legacy of his father and his family, knows full well what is now hanging by a thread in his presidency -- his standing as a Philippine leader on the world stage. The payoff in the form of iffy “pledges” rather than real direct investments he brought home from his globe-trotting trips speaks volumes of the world’s cold-shouldering to his publicity spree.

The seemingly small but terrible Coldplay recent rebound has rubbed salt in the wound.

PBBM ALBATROSS

I wrote in my past ATABAY article International Criminal Court: PBBM’s Albatross the following implications of PBBM’s refusal to cooperate with ICC’s ongoing investigation:

Social

1.    Impunity. It sends this message: Impunity is granted to perpetrators of crimes against humanity demoralizing victims and emboldening other leaders to commit the same crimes.

2.    Tension and Conflict. It could intensify.

3.    Human Rights Violations. It could lead to arbitrary detention, or extrajudicial killings of witnesses, victims, or those suspected of assisting the ICC.

Political

1.    International Isolation. It could lose support from other countries.

2.    Diplomatic Repercussions. It could harm PH’s reputation on the world stage hampering cooperative work with other countries and international organizations shackling future agreements and negotiations.

3.    Domestic Instability. It could incite internal unrest, if the public pulse for ICC investigation turns into nationwide advocacy.

Economic

1.    Reduced Foreign Investment. It could lead to a reduction in foreign investment due to investors’ uneasiness in PH with perceived poor human rights record and economic instability.

2.    Economic Sanctions. It could lead to economic sanctions – harming PH’s economy by reducing investment and access to capital.

3.    Damage to International Trade Relations. It could harm PH’s trade relations with other countries leading to reduced exports and distress to local industries. Exhibit A. EU Parliament To PH: Act-On Human Rights Abuses Or Lose GSP+ Perks (Rappler)

TRUTH

Let us go back to Bato’s Fear of the Truth and zero in on Truth. In my ATABAY article Easter Letter To My Atheist Friend, I tackled a universal question (highlighted by author Philip Yancey in his book Disappointment With God): “Why doesn’t He intervene?” and a national “bleeding hearts” question (as Bato sneered in the above interview): “In Kian’s case [and thousands of similar cases], haven’t we felt in our bones the International Criminal Court as His intervention?”

Lately, seeing through the epiphanic eyes of those “bleeding hearts,” I was scrolling down my computer screen when I saw a post by Jingjing, an FB friend, of a strange photo that have been floating around in the internet of a pile of stones with a lead question: “Can you figure out what it says?” (You may look at the head photo of this article and try to figure it out yourself.) The post got lots of answers, one of which said, “Jing, it gives me a headache.”

That’s true because it’s an optical illusion that plays tricks on one’s vision.

CRYPTIC MESSAGE

Have you figured out the cryptic message? Some viewers of the post got it: “The stones will cry out.”

Besides the serendipity of stone to mean in our native tongue “bato,” which happens to be the Senator’s popular moniker, what does this message have to do with this article? A great deal, spiritually speaking. The message was taken from the Bible (Luke 19:40): “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”

Right away, have you thought about the phrase “if they [drug war victims] were to keep silent” as much the same as Bato saying, “Huwag natin pag-usapan yan” or PBBM saying, “The Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts”?

Now, let’s look into the cryptic message “The stones will cry out.” It was the words of Jesus who also has claimed to be the Truth. There are lots of layers of meaning in such a message. Putting them together, they convey this core belief: The Truth will stand on its divine authority whether Bato or anyone else accepts it or not. Simply put in topical expression: Truth will prevail.

WARNING

After proclaiming such a message, then seeing the city, Jesus wept and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now your eyes are held from seeing.” (Luke 19:42) Down the road, Jesus prophesied, “And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and leave not a stone within you, for you did not recognize the time and the visitation of your God.” (Luke 19: 44)

For lack of space and wanting of knowledge, I will not delve into the exegesis of Jesus’ prophecy. But here’s the crux of the matter. The real Fear that Bato has to grapple with in his immovable wall is the irresistible force -- the implications to his life and the lives of his fellow perpetrators today of the Truth of Jesus' prophecy.

If Senator Bato truly loves his “apos,” then he must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Then he will know the Truth, and the Truth will set him free. (John 8:32)

Head photo courtesy of Facebook

Video clips courtesy of YouTube

COLDPLAY "INSANE" BLENDS WITH BEATLES "HELP"

 

“Philippines president sparks outcry for using presidential helicopter to see Coldplay” – The Guardian

“Philippine leader Marcos criticized for helicopter ride to Coldplay concert” – The Independent

“Philippines: Helicopter trip to Coldplay concert lands Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in trouble” – NBC News

In trouble -- that’s how President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) has landed as the foreign press headlined, instead of in a round of applause that he’s been itching for on the world stage since day one of his presidency. On such a world stage, he’s been hankering to restore the tarnished legacy of his father and his family – the kind of vision he disclosed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in a rare interview where he spelled out:

“[S]omebody had to enter politics and be in the political arena… not only [for] the legacy of my father but even our own [family]…”

PBBM's globe-trotting trips have showcased such a blurry, if not myopic vision in his time in office in which he said:

“Kapag hindi tayo bumiyahe at nagpakita sa mga conference na yan, hindi nila tayo iniisip. Wala sa isipan nila ang Pilipinas. Kailangan natin ipakita kung ano ang atin para mapaganda ang potential investments nila sa dadalhin nila dito sa Pilipinas.”

Sad to say, the Coldplay flak triggered the opposite effect of the intended public esteem PBBM has been hungering for in his time in power.

“Coldplay’s Chris Martin hits Manila traffic via impromptu composition” Inquirer bannered. Wittily, he sang, “Yesterday we sang about Manila in the rain. But we’re not gonna sing that song again… Oh, we can’t wait to play Manila again but the traffic here is completely insane. There’s only one thing that remains, the traffic in Manila is completely insane.”

A research say that the transport infrastructures have the greatest potential to stimulate the economy in the long-run. Economists affirm that there is a strong linkage between the investments in transport infrastructures and economic productivity.

This is not the first time famous live performers embroiled PBBM and his family in the entertainment world. The Coldplay flak comes as no surprise. PBBM has been known for his fondness for rock bands since his youth. According to some sources, PBBM was a fan of the Beatles and other popular rock bands in the 60s and 70s. A PBBM video clip on YouTube shows him singing Imagine by John Lennon during his birthday party.

Looking back, more than fifty years ago, on July 4, 1966, eight-year-old PBBM, was among the 300 children of top government officials gathered and crying in disappointment at Malacañang ground because the Beatles hadn’t turned up, and the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, saying that the Beatles has let her down. The Beatles were unaware of the local promoter’s promise for them to attend a breakfast reception with the First Lady Imelda Marcos in Malacañang Palace.

Beatle George Harrison narrated in a YouTube video clip interview his band’s ordeal titled “He tried to kill us.” George Harrison talks about Ferdinand Marcos [Sr.] – April 1986 which I am transcribing below:

“Yeah, well we went to Manila back in the 60s. The Beatles were on a tour and we did the concert. The next morning, we were in bed, and somebody knocked on our door (the hotel suite) saying, ‘Come on, you’re supposed to be at the palace.’ And we said, ‘No, we’re not.’ We didn’t have any engagement anywhere but somebody had, you know, some smart guy had said, ‘Sure, I’ll get the Beatles up to the palace.’

 “And they said, turn on the TV. We turned the television on and there it was, this big palace with lines of people and the guy saying, ‘Well, they’re still not here yet.’ And we watched ourselves not arrive at the palace. But we were never supposed to be there.

“And so, what they did was they said, ‘Beatles snub the First Family,’ which I’m glad we did, even in those days we had taste. And so consequently, set the mob on us and tried to beat us up, which they did.

“They beat up a lot of people in with us and wouldn’t let the plane leave Manila until Epstein, our manager, had to get off the plane and give back the money we earned at the concert.

“So that’s what I think of Marcos, the old twat he was.”

[This finale statement is flashed on the TV screen: “Eight-year-old Bongbong Marcos was quoted as saying, ‘I’d like to pounce on the Beatles and cut off their hair. Don’t anybody dare me to do anything, because I’ll do it, just to see how game the Beatles are.’”

Wikipedia reported that at the airport upon arrival, the Beatles were “abducted” and then escorted by military personnel to a luxury yacht owned by Don Manolo Elizalde whose 24-year-old son wanted to host a party to show off the band to his friends.

Shedding light on the Malacañang invitation mess, Wikipedia narrated: “While the Beatles were unaware of [a party hosted by Imelda], Epstein [band manager] had already declined the invitation when they were in Tokyo. This was in keeping with his policy since 1964 regarding all embassy or other official functions to which the group was often invited while on tour. The 1966 itinerary mentioned only that the Beatles might ‘call in’ at the palace at 3:00 pm en route to their first concert.”

To get this mess straight, specifically the phrase “Epstein has already declined” the invitation, I prompted Bing, my co-pilot, to dig up anything, counting anecdotes, it could find in its web search on the missing pieces of the puzzle. In seconds, Bing rolled out the following telephone exchange between Epstein and Imelda.

Imelda [I]: [On the phone] Hello, is this Brian Epstein, the manager of the Beatles?

Epstein [E]: [On the phone] Yes, this is Brian Epstein. Who is this?

I: This is Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines. I’m calling to invite you and the Beatles to a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace tomorrow morning. It will be a great honor and a pleasure to meet you and the boys.

.E: Oh, thank you, Mrs. Marcos. That’s very kind of you. But I’m afraid we have to decline. The boys are very tired and they need to rest before their concerts. They also don’t want to get involved in any political affairs.

I: Mr. Epstein, please reconsider. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A historic moment. A golden chance. You don’t want to miss it. You don’t want to regret it. You don’t want to offend it.

E: Offend it? What do you mean?

I: I mean, you don’t want to offend me. You don’t want to offend my husband, the President. You don’t want to offend the people who have welcomed and protected you.

E: Mrs. Marcos, I don’t mean to offend anyone. I’m just trying to do my job and respect the boys’ decision. They have the right to choose what they want to do and who they want to meet. They have the right to say no.

I: No? No? How dare you say no to me? How dare you say no to the First Lady? How dare you say no to the mother of the nation? Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know what I can do? I always get what I want.

E: Well, I’m sorry, Mrs. Marcos, but you can’t always get what you want.

I: How dare you quote the Rolling Stone song lyrics to me? How dare you insult me with their inferior music?

E: Mrs. Marcos. Please calm down. I was just trying to make a point.

I: Well, you have made your point, Mr. Epstein. You have made your choice. You have made your mistake. You have made your enemy. And you will pay for it. You will pay for it dearly. You will regret this day. You will regret this phone call. You will regret your no.

Imelda hung up the phone. Epstein looked bewildered and terrified. Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. As the old saying goes: The rest is history.

Afterward, the Manila Bulletin headlined the fallout in bold capital letters:

“BEATLES HERE, CRY HELP, AND RUN FOR THEIR LIVES”

Content put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-Pilot

Head collage photos courtesy of NBC News & Esquire Philippines

Video clips courtesy of YouTube

LOTTO, ANYONE? FALLING INTO TEMPTATION AND TRAP

 

Have you ever bought a lotto ticket hoping to win a big prize and change your life? Have you ever wondered if playing the lotto is right or wrong? Have you ever considered its moral and spiritual implications?

PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles: We have to protect the identity of the winner. Mayroong pong nagreklamo sa amin one time, we covered the face, yung damit naman po nakita. So nagreklamo siya sana naman daw po wag ipakita yung damit. Yan po ang reason n’yan.

Senator Raffy Tulfo: And I agree it’s a very poor editing pero the objective is to conceal the clothing na ma-identify sa kanya.

Robles: If there’s something we apologize for, it’s the poor editing, but I think has served the purpose of concealing the identity.

Tulfo: Pero yung tao hindi edited?

Robles: Hindi po. Totoo po ‘yan, tunay na tao yan.

The viral PCSO lotto squabble reminds me of the following anecdote.

A priest, a rabbi, and a minister were playing poker in a basement. They were having a good time until they heard a knock on the door. It was the police, who had received a tip that there was illegal gambling going on.

The priest quickly hid the cards under the table, and opened the door.

Priest: Hello, officer, what can we do for you?

Officer: We have a report that there is gambling going on on this premises. Is that true?

Priest: No, officer, we are just having a friendly discussion about religion.

Officer: Really? Then what is that under the table?

Priest: That? That’s just a donation box for the poor.

Officer: Well, then, let me see it.

He lifted the box and saw the cards.

Officer: What are these?

Priest: These? These are our holy cards.

Officer: And what about this?

He pointed to a pile of chips.

Priest: Those? Those are our miracles.

Rounding off this lively icebreaker (obviously to catch and hold on to your attention), have you heard this Cardinal Sin’s joke (surely has transfigured since then into many versions)?

In one social event where the cardinal was invited, someone commented to the cardinal who was holding a glass of wine: “So, our beloved cardinal is drinking wine tonight.”

The Cardinal exclaims, “Gosh, it’s a miracle! My water turns into wine.”

The first miracle performed by Jesus in the Bible has eventually become a good source of wit like the Cardinal’s joke.

In the first anecdote, the priest could have gotten out of the “gotcha” moment by simply quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Games of chance or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others.”

Concerning the PCSO’s squabble, it could have opted for another way of concealing the identity of the winner – an anonymity policy common in the U.S. – such as the Powerball, a multi-state lottery game that allows winners to remain anonymous in some states.

PCSO should not have resorted to editing photos – a hideous task, in this age of AI, that hangs around with deepfake -- the digital alteration of facial appearance through deep generative methods.

When all is said and done, aiming singly at the PCSO is missing the forest for the trees. There is more to such a squabble than meets the eye. At this point, some fragment of gut feeling embedded in my previous ATABAY article Destabilization Plot: The Hole In The Donut keeps clueing in my mind. I wrote:

“Looking back, at one time or another, do you still remember you said to yourself, ‘I know what all the facts and details say, but it just doesn’t feel right.’ Why did you say that? Because the parts of your brain, the limbic sections, the Golden Circle’s Why and How, that control your decision-making, don’t control your language.

“So, in times like that, you just take a deep breath and say, ‘I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.’”

It just doesn’t feel right on the PCSO’s squabble because it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Diving into the water, we will see below the water surface the larger chunk of the iceberg weighed down by the massive weight of corruption and poverty.

Here are the somber realities staring at us:

“The Philippines is perceived to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Of the 180 countries… ranked 116 in terms of being least corrupt... the Philippines is almost in the top one-third of being the most corrupt… based on the Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International.” (Management Association of the Philippines)

Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s recent conviction of bribery in the pork barrel scam has showcased the scale of corruption up to the top. Former senator Juan Ponce Enrile as well, now chief presidential legal adviser, has a pending plunder case, notoriously dragged on in the court due to technical petitions.

“Nearly half of Filipino families still consider themselves poor” – Manila Bulletin

“The main economic problem in the Philippines is its massive poverty, as sensed by the people themselves. In December 2023, almost half of all families felt Poor, only one in five felt Not Poor, and one in three felt on the border.” (Inquirer’s Mahar Mangahas in his column Social Climate)

What’s more, Mangahas in his October 8, 2022 column “Kursunada” in Lotto wrote:

“As of late 2010, 49 percent [almost half] of all adult Filipinos – equivalent to 28 million persons - had bought a Lotto ticket in the previous 12 months, according to the Social Weather Stations national survey in November that year.”

The triad of poverty, corruption, and lotto is like a deadly trap that ensnares and imprisons the poor and holds them off from escaping or breaking free. The poor are lured by the bait of the lotto, which promises a quick and easy way out of their poverty, but they end up falling into the snare of corruption, which exploits and oppresses them.

The trap keeper -- the powerful and the wealthy – thrived from their misery and desperation – mga nawawala, nagwawala, at walang-wala – in the words of Fr. Jerry Orbos.

Here are five deep-rooted reasons not to play the lottery that John Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGoddotorg, asserted:

1.    It is spiritually suicidal. “Those who strive to be rich fall into temptations and traps. A lot of foolish and harmful ambitions plunge them into ruin and destruction.” (1 Tim 6:9)

2.    It is a kind of embezzlement. All we have belongs to God. We don’t gamble with our God’s money.

3.    It is a fool’s errand. We pick 6 numbers from a possible pool of 49 numbers, our chances of winning the jackpot (correctly choosing all 6 numbers drawn) are 1 in 13,983,816. That’s 1 shot in almost 14 million. If we were to buy one lottery ticket each week in such a scenario, we could expect to win once every 269,000 years. Many lotteries have even worse odds.

4.    The system is built on the necessity of most people losing. Lotteries are “just another form of gambling (sans glamor and glitz of Las Vegas). The ‘house’ controls the action, and the players will all eventually lose.” (International Business Times)

5.    It preys on the poor. The lottery supports and encourages “yet another corrosive addiction that preys upon the greed and hopeless dreams of those trapped in poverty…” (The Consumerist)

A government that raises money by encouraging and exploiting the weaknesses of its citizens escapes that democratic mechanism of accountability. As important, state-sponsored gambling undercuts the civic virtue upon which democratic governance depends. (First Things, Sep 1991)

Content put together in collaboration with Microsoft Bing AI-powered Copilot

Head photo courtesy of Inquirer

Video clips courtesy of YouTube

TAIWAN 2024 & PHILIPPINES 2016: A TALE OF TWO ELECTIONS

 

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES for democracy, living through a gorgeous, sunny Saturday, 13^th of January, 2024 in Taiwan. The Guardian’s Michelle Kuo wrote a piece titled “Taiwan’s Election Result is a Triumph for Democracy – and a Thorn in Beijing’s Side” which I am excerpting below:

“In a world gone mad, Taiwan’s story is indisputably, heartbreakingly hopeful. According to the nonprofit Freedom House, Taiwan is the sixth most free country in the world – above France and the US. It has legalized same-sex marriage, making it a haven for queer people across Asia. It boasts one of the highest rates of female participation in the legislature. It has universal healthcare and affordable public transport.

“The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds on to a vision of Taiwan that is genuinely multicultural and multilingual. This is a giant thorn in Beijing’s side because Taiwan shows that democracy works. One of the Chinese Communist Party’s central claims is that democracy is incompatible with Chinese-speaking societies. But Taiwan’s very existence undermines that claim.”

IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES for democracy, looking back on that warm, humid, and partly cloudy Monday, 30^th of May, 2016 in the Philippines. Time Magazine’s Nash Jenkins wrote a piece titled Why Did the Philippines Just Elect a Guy Who Jokes About Rape as Its President? which I am excerpting below:

“[M]illions of voters in the Philippines went to the polls to vote for their next President. The apparent winner, with nearly two-fifths of the vote: Rodrigo Duterte, the 71-year-old populist mayor who gained international attention with a string of gleeful gaffes. John Oliver described him as the Trump of the East, but Duterte makes Trump sound like a Sunday school teacher: in November, he called Pope Francis ‘a son of a whore’; last month, he expressed disappointment at the fact that he did not get to participate in the 1989 gang rape of a ‘beautiful’ Australian missionary. He’s casually mentioned his penchant for Viagra.

“But to millions of Filipinos, Duterte’s appeal is simple: he is, they believe, the sort of bombastic firebrand who can clean up a crime-riddled nation and eradicate endemic corruption.

“The country, in other words, needs a quick and dirty fix, and that is Duterte’s mandate.

“’If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor,’ Duterte said at a campaign rally over the weekend. ‘All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you. I have no patience. I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots.’”

IT WAS THE SPRING OF HOPE, looking ahead, for Taiwanese people as “Taiwan’s story is indisputably, heartbreakingly hopeful” in the face of China’s disinformation and fake news flooding Taiwan before the election. China has branded then the DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te a “troublemaker” for his pro-sovereignty stance. Taiwan’s AI Labs founder Ethan Tu told VOA during an interview:

“[I]n this year’s election, short videos on YouTube and Tiktok are playing very important roles… the content produced by these YouTubers aligns with the narratives promoted by Chinese state media. These YouTube channel owners will pretend to be neutral but when they talk about things in the videos, they will mix in information that reflects the Chinese government’s interests… often pro-China while demoting Japan and the U.S. They will frame China as a peacemaker while characterizing the U.S. as dragging other countries into wars.

“As probably one of the first teams around the world to use generative AI to detect efforts to manipulate information created by generative AI, we hope other international partners will be interested in contributing to the efforts of preventing authoritarian states from using generative AI to influence people around the world, creating an alliance among democratic countries.”

IT WAS THE WINTER OF DESPAIR, in retrospect, for Filipino people as hundreds of coordinated fake accounts with links to China supportive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) flooded the Philippines. Violating the platform’s policies on foreign interference, such fake accounts were taken down later by Facebook which viewed them as coordinated inauthentic conduct on behalf of a foreign entity.

Former Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario exposed in the Rappler report that senior Chinese officials had grandstanded about their impact on the 2016 Philippine elections where PRRD won. Del Rosario said:

“On February 22, 2019, we received information from a most reliable international entity that high officials from China are bragging that they had been able to influence the 2016 Philippine elections so that Duterte would be president.”

Rappler reported Del Rosario’s slamming of PRRD’s dismissal of the arbitral award to “fit into a disturbing pattern of loyalty to a foreign power.” As one headline bannered: “Duterte says PH arbitral win vs. China ‘just’ a piece of paper, thrash to be thrown away” (CNN Philippines)

PRRD, during one of his journeys to China, said then: “I just simply love Xi Jinping. He understood, he understands my problem and he is willing to help.” Del Rosario ripped PRRD’s coddling of Xi, who has symbolized an “aggressor that is openly and illegally occupying land and waters that belong to the Filipino people.”

“It is certainly disturbing to see our President – who should be looking after his own people – relying on a foreign leader for his security of tenure as President,” Del Rosario stressed.

NUANCES IN DEGREE OF COMPARISON

Let’s throw some light on the above momentous turns of events which may unearth a bit of nuggets of wisdom.

In the 2024 Taiwan election, China pulled out all the stops in thwarting presidential candidate Lai Chen-te, the “troublemaker,” but it fizzled out.

In the 2016 Philippine election, China made the same all-out effort in propping up presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, the “appeaser,” and it prevailed.

The common denominator that tweaked the above turns of events: the last-minute stroke of “disunity” as shown in the following headlines:

Headline: “An Alliance of Taiwan’s Opposition Parties Collapse. Here’s Why It Matters” (Time)

“The dramatic falling out marks the collapse of a short-lived Beijing-friendly alliance that… many speculated may have been a threat to… Lai Ching-te,” Time reported.

“Had a short-lived pact between the KMT and TPP not spectacularly and embarrassingly blown up in November, then the election result might have been different,” Time noted in another report.

The following sequence of local headlines in times past spoke volumes of such a last-minute stroke of “disunity”:

Headline: “LP Torn Between Mar Roxas, Grace Poe” (Inquirer)

Headline: “Roxas Should Give Way to Poe to Beat Duterte” (CNN Philippines)

Headline: “Poe Refuses to Withdraw from Presidential Race to Allow Roxas to Defeat Duterte” (Gulf News)

Had the stroke of “disunity” between Roxas and Poe avoided, the election result might have been different.

While China failed in uniting the two pro-Beijing political parties in the recent Taiwan election, did it play a part in Roxas-Poe’s last-minute stroke of “disunity” that resulted in a win for Duterte, a pro-Beijing president?

Rather than dealing with such a trifling question from the distant past, let’s delve into this pivotal point to ponder: Do you ever wonder how the depravity of “disunity,” last-minute or otherwise, can make or break a nation’s fate?

Head collage photos courtesy of Foreign Policy & The Yale Review of International Studies

Video clips courtesy of YouTube