Presidential pa-rinig?

It pays to say “Happy New Year.” 

Yesterday, I remembered a friend of mine whom I had not seen for sometime, so I decided to check on him and say hello. We did the usual update on family, health and projects and just when we were about to hang up, I casually asked “what have you picked up from the grapevine lately.” My friend has a reputation for being in the right places at the right time sometimes and it turns out he had a juicy item to share.

It seems that President Duterte had called the entire board of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to Malacañang and gave them the shock of their lives. The President has apparently been getting information about the PCSO. For one, that it has been under performing in terms of revenues. Another is that certain officials have been less than transparent about their dealings as well as meeting “interested parties” outside PCSO offices. PRRD also expressed his disapproval of parties at government expense pointing out that even as Mayor he disdained such suggestions. But that was only the appetizer. The President started asking what type of cars the officials were driving. One said a “Mazda” another said an “Everest” etc. But no one was willing to confess or admit to the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser that was set up with Level 6 bullet and bomb protection. If I remember correctly that was the same type of vehicle that gave the former Supreme Court Justice Sereno a lot of headaches?

Then the President asked about watches and jewelry. PRRD showed that he only wore a bronze plated Oris watch (unlike someone on the PCSO board who reportedly bought a gold Rolex). Again no one admitted to such extravagance but my friend told me that everything the President said was based on actual intelligence gathered by OP operatives. Just to be sure, I crosschecked with a reliable source inside Malacañang and my source confirmed what my friend shared. Both sources also said that the Presidential “Pa-rinig” to the PCSO board members was nothing short of a serious or advanced warning. What remains to be seen is if the officials can quickly redeem themselves before the President by boosting the performance of PCSO or will one or two individuals have to bow out “gracefully”? As they say: “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.”   

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While on vacation in Boracay, my phone rang and the caller ID stated: Mr. Go. I did not make the connection as to who the person was so I politely said “Hello”. But the minute I heard the voice on the other side I could tell from the very distinct voice that it was none other than Senator Christopher “Bong” Go. I assumed that he wanted to clarify that he had no stake in the new company joining the Motorcycle Taxi sector called “Joyride”. But it turned out that he was more interested in clarifying why he continues to visit the poor as well as victims of fires and typhoons.

Senator Bong Go told me that from the very start of the Senatorial campaign, he had made a commitment to help the poor and to be the voice of the poor in the Senate. It was not just a campaign slogan to him but a personal commitment that he intends to stand by now that he is a Senator.  Sen. Go pointed out that if other people may have gotten too busy or forgotten making similar promises, that’s sad. But he was intent on visiting the poor, the victims of disasters in order to extend whatever help he can bring.  Bong Go has said the same in his trips to poor communities saying that he has no reason not to spend his time with them since the business of the Senate only uses up four days in a week. As I listened to him intently, Bong Go emphasized that the poor have no one to represent them and the reality is that on their own they can’t go to seek help because they don’t have the means and they don’t know anyone.

Generally, our reaction might be: “Yeah, sure!” Many of us are skeptics and jaded by politicians who have the best lines that they’ve memorized and mastered the delivery of. But as a Christian and an optimist, the short conversation actually got me thinking. Why is it that “we” or I suspect Bong Go of having political plans just because he is visiting the poor, victims of tragedy and promoting “Malasakit”? Why are we not calling out the TRAPOS instead who have become indifferent if not distant from the poor and the miserable? It is ironic indeed that several Congressmen and Senators have made time and taken a keen interest in such issues as the motorcycle taxi ride hailing business but are rarely seen or heard of spending time with the “common tao” or “Masa”. I wish they spent just as much time at the piers and seaports to see how difficult it is to travel by roro or by bus because legislators have not been giving importance to such matters. So there you have it, Bong Go is not campaigning but fulfilling what he said he will be; the voice of the poor. When I asked him about a possible Cayetano-Go tandem, the Senator quipped by saying “Sir malayo naman ang Davao sa Metro Manila.”

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