Not even a funny joke

For all its worth, the farce that passed off as one-act skit of Antonio Trillanes and Danilo Lim, was obviously aimed at propaganda, but ended up flat in their faces. If it were a joke, it also sounded sickly, eliciting no laughter. In street lingo: “Gitika ang kilid ko, basin pa’g gilokan ug mokatawa ko”. What’s funny is the total absence of humor or jest.

However, the Trillanes-Lim romp did rein in a lot of “victims” and/or culprits who, as usual, had been looking for chances to make the cut in tv grabs, radio airing, and print headlines, even as court jesters, or in clownish swan songs. Falling under this clique were the sunset-fading and trying hard ex-VP Teofisto Guingona Jr., the doddering and stuttering octogenarian Bishop Julio Labayen, UP retiree Francisco Nemenzo, leftist street marchers RJ Bautista and Argee Guevarra, and ex-future miler Roberto Reyes.

Guingona was passionate in his usual facetious oratorical one-liner; Labayen was hardly articulate in his waspish anti-Gloria attack; Bautista with his gung-ho anti-administration ranting; and, young Guevarra willing “konohay” to do a martyrdom as sacrificial lamb to their cause.

Also as usual, the ABS-CBN/ANC network harnessed its pack of newshounds for the ratings game. Or, how valid is the theory that ABS-CBN was just true to its anti-GMA colors, as to pounce on and exploit every excuse against the Palace?

Anyway, its lady broadcaster did lengthily depict the actual tactical maneuver of the PNP around The Peninsula perimeter, identifying particular streets and landmarks, and describing the movements of PNP SWAT and SAF elements. This she did while feeding tv shots from the network’s hovering helicopter. Meantime, the occupying renegades led by Trillanes inside the hotel were monitoring all these PNP tactical movements on the tv screen.

Well, how’s that for the media actually aiding and feeding the State’s enemies? And yet, the state prosecutors have not even singled out this particular facet of abetting an on-going uprising against the government.

Overall, the greater “victims/culprits” are the tri-media as a whole… Firstly, their avid pursuit of news-breaking events does not confer them absolute right to be where and when they please in every phase of actual police operations, as to obstruct them. Secondly, media should be responsible enough not to divulge vital info relating to tactical phases of police engagement. Thirdly, defying lawful tactical orders to clear the premises for actual or imminent firefights against lawless elements, is treasonous. In a way, they were helping the enemy because the police could have assaulted and engaged the rebels, if not for the overly-ubiquitous media.

Thus, while a rank insult for media men to be restrained after the impasse, they ought to thank their lucky stars that the PNP ground commander had the patience to stand down the assault orders. Ironically, this was the skewed funny part that the unreasonably kibitzing newshounds have until now, been so bullish about against the PNP, totally disregarding their own irresponsibility. The funnier insult was for their hands tied with nylon strips, instead of handcuffs, like a bunch of stray dogs or hogs for shipment. “Puslan man, tinuod untang posas, dili higot sa baboy…”

Of course, Trillanes, Lim, and the rest of the Magdalo rebels also looked cheaply funny for their failed second mutiny, after the Oakwood dud. So defiantly brave in words before the tv cameras, only to crumble in utter surrender – as in Oakwood – after a couple of tear gas canisters. Definitely though, their joke in bad taste isn’t funny at all and, they should be slapped with damages, aside from criminal sanctions.

But above all, the whole episode wasn’t a healthy fun for the GMA administration which appears cheapened further for its vulnerability even to quixotic adventurism, on account of its never-ending venalities.

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