No laughs for the First Couple at Press Club’s ‘Gridiron’

President Arroyo and embattled First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo set aside supposed marital blues yesterday to watch together the annual "Gridiron Night" of the National Press Club (NPC).

The President’s 35-year marriage came under severe test recently when her husband was accused by opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson of allegedly opening the Jose Pidal account with his personal secretary, Vicky Toh to launder money.

Aside from money laundering charges, Lacson also romantically linked Toh with the First Gentleman, who earlier admitted these innuendoes of infidelity has affected Mrs. Arroyo herself and the rest of the first family.

The NPC Gridiron Night held at the Manila Hotel Fiesta Pavillion with a half-filled audience spoofed anew the President in a play inspired by the "Wizard of Oz."

Seated with the First Gentleman at the presidential table, Mrs. Arroyo watched without emotion as the characters supposedly portraying the First Couple made allusions to the text jokes on "Vicky Toh."

The character Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz" supposedly got a cellphone call from Presidential Adviser Vicky Garchitorena and the President replied: "Sinong Vicky Toh?"

But the audience themselves didn’t find the supposedly comic lines funny as it was met with a defeaning silence.

The First Gentleman was also seen shaking his head violently when the actor playing his character said: "Glory, wala na akong number Toh?"

Seated near the presidential table was the First Couple’s eldest son, Pampanga Vice Governor Mikey Arroyo, who came along with his wife Angela.

The President was also accompanied to the show by members of her official family led by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople and Press Secretary Milton Alingod, among other people.

The top military and police brass were also present led by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Narciso Abaya and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., whose respective organizations were among the sponsors of the P30,000 per table dinner-cum-stage show affair.

But Palace officials made sure beforehand that the annual roasting of the President would not take potshots at the rather touchy Jose Vidal controversy.

In her opening remarks, NPC vice president Alice Reyes admitted that the NPC intentionally did not make this year’s lampoon of the presidency harsh.

"It’s not because we have less charcoal to roast the President but we at the NPC felt that the President has enough worries and we simply do not want to do it," Reyes explained.

She, however, took the opportunity to ask Mrs. Arroyo to keep the Philippine press "one of the freest in the world" by helping protect them from the hazards of their trade.

Reyes particularly cited the assassination of Davao broadcaster Jun Pala last week by still unidentified gunmen.

Reyes appealed to the President in behalf of the NPC to order the NBI and the PNP to speed up the investigation and stop the growing list of dead Filipino journalists.

The First Couple’s two other children, Luli and Dato, who came along with his wife Kakai, later arrived in the middle of the show and joined Mikey and Angela in their table.

Mrs. Arroyo was visibly most amused during a portion of the show which depicted the failed July 27 mutiny in Oakwood where Magdalo officers, the negotiators and opposition Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan were played by amateur actor journalists.

Luli was, however, was visibly bored all throughout the show.