Penal shaft

Much has been theorized about why VP Sara Duterte has chosen to hole away in Congress for the weekend --and possibly until New Year!

Triggered by the detention of her chief-of-staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez by disgruntled Congress-persons, Sara vowed to accompany her staff in jail if they were so detained. Unfortunately, as if to call her dare, the investigating Blue Ribbon Committee issued warrants against her recalcitrant staff and also physically detained Lopez.

Lopez earlier earned the ire of the committee because she had written the Commission on Audit to refuse yet an even more inquisitive subpoena from Congress. That was considered interference by Congress and earned her an invitation to spend the night in some makeshift detention facility.

What’s a hapless state auditor to do when faced with a letter from the office of the mighty Dutertes? Ignore her and run the risk of being, shall we say, dispensed with? Without an equally-powerful patron to back him up? How that letter from Lopez ended up in the hands of the Congressional Committee should be a good story to chase. Someone literally ran to seek cover?

Sara now traipses off to Congress to pay a visit to Lopez and, surprise, refuses to leave the grounds. She camps in the office of her brother Paolo, conveniently a member of Congress, on the pretext she would change her outfit, but that outfit must have been pajamas, because she then spent the night. Unfazed by security cutting off electricity, VP Sara has bravely proclaimed she is ready to wash her clothes in situ, and for added dramatic effect, brought a clothesline with her. Such prescience.

But this scene provided the setting for what came next: Sara cried “wolf!” She has fingered Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez as wanting to kill her. Loudly and publicly, Sara has now laid the blame for anything that might happen to her at the door of Speaker Romualdez.

She probably thinks this is a good insurance policy, because it then makes Speaker Romualdez extra cautious about handling her in the future. He will want to have an ironclad alibi if ever that scenario comes to pass, and a hapless fall guy to take the heat. Wait, this reminds of something that happened in August 21 in the ‘80s. Hmmm.

But, come to think of it, Sara’s ploy might not be a good idea in case she wants to remain alive. Now that the spotlight is thrown in the direction of Romualdez, this is now the chance of his frenemies to discredit him. Those with an axe to grind against him might just take this opportunity to attempt to weaken his chances at the presidency. Imagine, all the rabid Duterte fans and the Mindanao faithful campaigning against Romualdez for offing their precious feisty princess?

Cutting off the power didn’t work to budge Sara. Shortly after huffing and puffing at how the VP was disrespecting their personal space, the Committee then pushed the pawn away, hoping to lead the queen away. They voted to transfer Lopez to a real prison in Mandaluyong City. A women’s correctional facility, in polite-speak, but a real prison, nonetheless.

The day before, VP Sara relayed how Lopez was in high spirits, laughing at Sara’s jokes, seemingly unaffected by her detention. When faced with a transfer to a real jail cell, however, Lopez was reported to have collapsed and vomited. That new bed looming before her must have been no laughing matter.

Voila, Lopez was whisked off to the hospital, and VP Sara gracefully exited the Congressional office of brother Paolo. Good riddance on both sides, apparently.

VP Sara is reported to be in the hospital to accompany Lopez, and Senator Bato de la Rosa has shown up, further flaming the circus now probably livening up hospital grounds. Reporters and TV crews must already be camping out there, clogging corridors and parking lots. What real patients with urgent doctor appointments to keep must think, we can probably surmise.

Will Senator Bato’s presence induce some flexing from the Upper House, or perhaps, his police brothers, further heightening tensions between the Lower House and the orphan twig of the Executive Branch that is the vice presidency?

The telenovela continues, and we watch in rapt attention. Such dramatic flair, this woman has. By the time this comes to print, there will have been new developments, and we will have new zingers to cackle over.

Who shafted whom this week, though, is still anybody’s guess.