Nothing brings to the fore more forcefully the kind of mental state to which this nation has descended the past few days than the question: “Who can fill the shoes (or tsinelas, for that matter) of Jesse Robredo?”
The question is alarming. It suggests no one can replace Robredo, which means whoever is appointed to replace him is doomed to fall short by comparison, meaning further that the DILG is forever consigned to mediocrity no matter who heads it.
The paeans raised to Robredo’s name effectively shut the door on the possibility that anyone can be any better. With one fell swoop, they cut everybody else down to size, from the president down to the “slappingest” MMDA traffic enforcer.
Yet, even before the hymns of praise for “the perfect man” could quietly recede into the background, some of those who sang the loudest have started singing counterpoint about who their nominees are to replace Robredo.
To prop up and sustain these nominees, it becomes a matter of course for their endorsers to lay the butter on thick for their favorites. But how far could they parade their horses when they have already corralled them within parameters defined by the Robredo perfection.
One official, who shed a tear and whose voice broke in the early days of the Robredo tragedy, now leads the charge to find a replacement, with his own personal choice being the grandson of a former president, for no other reason than that the nominee is a partymate.
Another official favors a sitting senator long hounded by serious allegations the likes of which could foul up the sweet-scented air Robredo left behind. If Robredo needed any nudging to speed up his trip to heaven, it is the info that the senator is actually warm to the notion.
There will be a lot more aspirants, openly willing or not, with padrinos angling for the successful selection of their bets for the influence it can rub off on them. As a consolation, this indicates an unmistakable return to normalcy for this nation.