Redemption for the writer of 'The Wine Sucks'

I am appalled at the stupidity of this Malacañang functionary who insulted her Hanoi hosts last fortnight by tweeting “the wine sucks!” She proved that being a cum laude or even a UP Ph.D. cannot camouflage ill breeding. I wrote to Ricky Carandang, who is a very good man, to be objective and fire her. If President Noynoy is a good leader, he will not stop Ricky. If not, he illustrates the galling insensitivity of hubris.

I am not suggesting hara-kiri for Mislang, which, perhaps, the Japanese would resort to in such a case; after all, they have this “nobility in failure” tradition. Being very bright, I presume she is now planning to redeem herself.

Since she seems to have an observant eye, maybe she should now seriously study Vietnam, its valiant history. She complained about the wine; did she know it was Vietnamese? Maybe we should do the same: serve our native liquors at receptions. Tanduay rum (this is a free commercial): it is better than any of the touted Caribbean rums, Batangas lambanog, Visayan tuba and Ilokano basi. In the ‘60s and the ‘70s, at our opening receptions at our Solidaridad Galleries, we served basi and dilis. And if there were comments that basi sucks, so be it.

And those motorcycles in Vietnam. Did Ms. Mislang appreciate the absence of traffic jams in Hanoi or in Saigon? Just think of their savings in oil, too.

And finally, Vietnam’s history, its heroic people. She should venerate the life of Ho Chi Minh, the humble founder of modern Vietnam, and learn from him who practiced what he preached. Then compare him with our leaders today, particularly the present occupant of Malacañang.

Her critical eye can yet be useful. Since she is supposed to be a good writer, she can write satires, skits about her juvenile colleagues, the pompous biggies who congregate in the Palace. She can be like the clown employed by the European kings of old, exposing their foibles, the idiosyncrasies of royalty without fear of losing her head.

And again, perhaps, she could tell us why President Noynoy watered down the report on the Luneta hostage massacre. She could also explain why President P-Noy holds on to his barkada and upstarts like her.

Perhaps she can explain the President’s anger at his critics. It is because he himself knows that he is lackluster, with no track record or intellectual prowess to deserve the presidency? That all he brought to it is the name of his parents without which he would not be president?

Perhaps, she should also analyze why some of the members of the President’s Cabinet are such pretenders. They are personally close to the President for which reason they are so cocksure that they won’t be fired for all their gaffes.

Ms. Mislang, the reason why you are now receiving hate mail is not so much because of the blunder you committed but because, all along, you thought you were being clever; that your responsibility is only to President P-Noy. You have it all wrong. Your responsibility is to us, the people. The President called us “boss” I don’t think now that he really meant it.