Buy one, take four

The changes Noynoy Aquino promised are losing no time in becoming evident. But they are not what people expected. For example, while everyone was expecting Kris Aquino to pop up over the horizon, look who materialized instead? Viel Aquino Dee.

Viel is normally the most pensive and silent of the four Aquino sisters. She is hardly the one you expect to emerge from the woodwork with this shocker for the nation: “Noynoy has no time for marriage right now.”

Not that it is a shocker for Noynoy to remain a bachelor. But for Viel to make that announcement is. Not only did the nation not expect a message like that, it also did not expect it to come from such a messenger. Boy, the changes are truly coming fast.

Marriage, if it comes for Noynoy, is something that is between him and his girl. And even if Noynoy actually confided to his sisters the state of his marital inclinations, why can’t the sisters allow Noynoy to make that announcement, if it has to be announced at all.

At the very least, the announcement thrust Noynoy’s girl, Shalani Soledad, into a very awkward position. One can only surmise how hurt she must have truly been although, to her credit, she never showed it when asked for a reaction.

But what reaction could Shalani give except to go along with what had been announced. To controvert the announcement of Viel would have placed Noynoy in a very difficult spot, something he needs like a hole in the head at this point.

Even if Noynoy and Shalani both agreed to put aside their plans for marriage, if any, it was still uncalled for for Viel to spill the beans on the true status of something that, whether they all admit it or not, was meant to tease the public imagination during the campaign.

It may be very difficult to quantify it, but it is a safe guess that a considerable chunk of the votes Noynoy got came from the hopelessly romantic lot of the populace who wanted to see a Malacañang wedding for the only son of a former president and a very pretty young politician.

A marriage is something that is not only very intimate between two people, it is also a matter of great sensitivity and must be handled delicately. It is not an issue up for disclosure by anyone other than the principal parties themselves.

Not even somebody as close as a sister should make such an announcement as what Viel just did, unless she has clearly been appointed to do such talking, which is clearly not the case, as what the context of her announcement suggested.

 In making the announcement, Viel gave the impression that that was only her perception. If what was disclosed was based on mere personal impression, why for God’s sake did Viel have to go ahead and do it?

Which brings us to several hair-raising questions: Was Viel really just articulating a perception or was she, in fact, making known her position on the possibility of marriage between Noynoy and Shalani? And if that was her position, was it just her own or that of all the sisters?

Actually, it is the business of nobody if Noynoy takes Shalani to the altar or not. The real issue is whether Noynoy can rule the country by himself or will his sisters not be the power behind the throne.

This early, the indications are Noynoy will not be making decisions by himself. And if decisions over a matter so intimate as marriage are made for him by his sisters, what assurance can the nation expect that matters of state will not need their stamp of approval as well?