A bleak Christmas - SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan

Just three days to Christmas and I’m still writing about politics. Since returning from abroad earlier this month I’ve tried to feel the spirit of the season. Sure, there are Christmas lights and horrid traffic, dawn Masses and puto bumbong. But the Christmas lights are fewer, and I managed to buy my Christmas food items in Quiapo on a Saturday without the usual shoppers’ crush.

This has to be the bleakest Christmas in many years – worse than during the Asian crisis in 1997, worse than the final years of Ferdinand Marcos. Some people are calling Christmas 2000 crisis-mas.

People still flock to churches, where the Christmas sermons are interspersed with calls for President Erap’s resignation. Last Wednesday traffic was terrible around the Redemptorist church in Baclaran, where Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin celebrated a Mass attended by anti-Erap forces including prosecution witnesses Emma Lim and Carmencita Itchon. All we want for Christmas is the truth, but we may only get the complete picture long after Dec. 25.

Instead of watching Christmas feel-good stories on TV, I entertain myself with the Senate soap opera ("J-what?" "Jay as in goat! Eey as in ah-pol!" And how did you find the appearance of "Anton Prito"?) But the comic relief disappears when we’re told that documents submitted to the Senate appear to have been tampered with. Suddenly those jokes about presidential crony Jaime Dichaves developing carpal tunnel syndrome from spending all his waking hours copying the signature of "Jose Velarde" are no longer funny. What happens now to Dichaves’ claim that he was the one who opened the "Jose Valhalla" account?

The buzz from the snake pit is that when President Erap saw the Jose Velarde/Valhalla check flashed on the Senate screen during the opening statement of Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo, the President’s fists clenched.

But let’s be kind since it’s nearly Christmas. President Erap was at least telling the truth: he’s not Jose Valhalla. It was Velarde all along.

* * *

Are his friends still sending President Erap Christmas gifts? Critics have been nagging the President to jettison some of his friends, but the guy values his friendships. Walang iwanan!

Now he’s finally dumping his friends, mainly to save his own hide. The Department of Justice went after Dante Tan, who had to post bail of P120,000 to stay out of jail. (What happened to the stock brokers and investment houses?) Dichaves is taking the fall for the Velarde account, and he hasn’t seen the worst of it. Such loyalty. Did someone make him an offer he didn’t dare refuse? No merry Christmas for this guy. And President Erap couldn’t save George Go from his fall from Equitable-PCIBank, except to emphasize that Go is not a crony. No merry Christmas either for this goner.

Weeks ago, as the President tried to prove he was sincerely instituting reforms and distancing himself from his friends, the government cracked down on the businesses of Lucio Lao Co, owner of Puregold Duty Free Shop. The open skies policy was revived, even if it meant hurting Lucio Tan’s Philippine Airlines. And the Supreme Court paved the way for the continuation of extradition proceedings against Mark Jimenez. As for Jose Luis "Sel" Yulo of the "Boracay" mansion, one day he’ll find himself haled to court.

Who’s next in the line of fire? Is Charlie "Atong" Ang still around? Watch out, Atong, the President may believe Gov. Chavit Singson’s testimony about you. That was one of the memorable moments in the impeachment trial: Singson quoting Atong as saying, "Sugapa sa pera ang p… …ng ’yan" – referring, of course, to you-know-who.

When the smoke of impeachment clears, who will be left by the President’s side? My guess is "good crony" Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco – unless he decides to dump Erap.

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When you greet people with "merry Christmas" these days, the likely response is not "same to you" but "it’s not merry!" Thousands of workers are set to lose their jobs come January. Both sides of the political fence are gearing for a bigger fight after the holidays.

If it’s any consolation, there’s also little merriment at Malacañang. I don’t think it will be a happy Christmas either for President Erap and his families. But in the spirit of the season, let’s wish them well. Let’s wish them many moments – if not a life – free from fear, hatred and anxiety.

It’s nearly Christmas. Try to be merry.