longcuts

We were invited to Malacanang last Friday to a Media Briefing on “Central Philippines Super Regions.” There were only 3 of us in Bohol.
A select few from print, TV and broadcast from the other provinces of the country were also there at the Heroes Hall. I guess there were about 40 to 50 of us in that press briefing.
* * *
It was probably the first time for new Press Secretary Cris Icban Jr. to mingle and interact with the country’s mass media.
Apart from Secretary Icban, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, PMS USec Andy Cui and other officials from the departments of Agriculture, DPWH and DOTC were there to welcome us.
The “personalized” letter that Secretary Icban gave us after the event was also touching.
* * *
I shared table with Secretary Icban during the fellowship dinner, together with Bobbit Avila of Philippine Star and other members of the Cebu media.
Apparently, Avila felt he had the floor all to himself. So while we were enjoying the super delicious Chinese dishes, he “entertained” us with his seemingly endless anecdotes. A few were amusing, the rest were not.
Anyway, it gave me the opportunity to closely examine Secretary Icban.
And from my brief scrutiny, I suppose he understands his job. He was just there listening, sometimes nodding his head in agreement, as the table jester changed from topic to topic.
He was willing to share the limelight with Avila who must have felt he got the night’s license to “bore” everybody with his mostly personal story.
* * *
I really appreciate the warm hospitality extended by the Office of the Press Secretary, notably my kababayan and cousin Saul Paa.
The members of his staff were also superb.
They met us and attended to our basic needs at the airport, at the Manila Pavilion where we were billeted and when we departed the following day.
Well, it was a nice little way for the OPS to “touch base” with the country’s mass media.
And I enjoyed it a lot.
* * *
This one is tsismis. So be wary.
It seems that the presidential race is between Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar only.
This was the common observation of those who attended the gathering.
This may be a casual observation but please take note that this comes from the members of the media.
* * *
Another tsismis.
In between the power point presentations, I had intermittent chicka-chicka with Ely Dejaresco of Negros Chronicle in Dumaguete and station manager Shirlyn Infante Abella of DYRM-Dumaguete.
We noticed the podium was marked “Malacanan Palace.”
But in the official communications as well as in the power point presentations, the term used was “Malacanang.”
Which one is correct, Malacanan or Malacanang, we were asking ourselves.
We got the answer when we were toured around the grounds of the Palace.
“Malacanan” is used when referring to the palace or the building itself but when referring to the grounds, the term “Malacanang” is used.
We were told the palace grounds are stretched to some 16 hectares of land.
Even some portion of Pasig River right behind the palace is part of Malacanang.
* * *
Meanwhile, a member of the Bohol delegation told me at the airport on the way home yesterday something about local politics.
“Naglangan-langan lang gyod na si Bebe Cajes, no? Nag-usik-usik ra ug kwarta,” the source told me.
He was referring of course to Trinidad Mayor Judith Cajes who is running as an independent for the congressional seat against outgoing governor Erico Aumentado.
* * *
Cong. Ondoy Cajes retaines a topnotch election lawyer in Manila to handle his case before the Comelec.
I am referring to the CONA case between his wife Judith Cajes and Governor Erico Aumentado.
Tsismis has it that the legal retainership alone made Cong. Ondoy Cajes a few millions poorer. Be wary with the figures though, I could not verify if this is correct.
Anyway, I am wondering why he is retaining an expensive Manila-based lawyer when he has his law firm in the city.
Cost wise, there is no argument that using his law firm is better.
Convenient wise, again, there is no dispute that it is very convenient to just “hire” his local partners to handle the case of his wife. After all, the situs of the offense is right here.
So why did he use a Manila-based lawyer?
Pardon my ignorance but I could only think of one reason.
Congressman Ondoy Cajes does not trust in the ability of his law partners to win his case.
Baleng paita, if this is true.
* * *
Okay, okay, we will give some slack.
The decision to engage the legal services of a Manila-based lawyer was a common or shared decision.
Meaning, there was a previous discussion and it was a common consensus with his local partners Atty. Libby Casilan, Atty. Tim Villas and Atty. Ted Lagang to just retain a Manila-based lawyer, especially one who has “access” to the Comelec.
So, the next question is this.
Did Congressman Ondoy Cajes’ partners know of his plans and of his decision to engage the governor in a legal battle in the Comelec?
Again, if the tsismis I heard is true, there was no discussion at all. Accordingly, Cong. Ondoy Cajes did not consult his partners about his plans and about his intention to hire a Manila-based lawyer.
If this is true, then the decision was personal.
Again, pastilang paita kaayo, if this is the case.
* * *
Now, we are on the realm of speculations.
How should his partners react upon learning of the case and especially about the outcome of the case?
Naturally, they would be surprised.
Nganong wa man ta sultii? Nganong wala man lang ta konsultaha?
These could be some of the logical questions that should come to mind.
They could be vocal about it. Or, they could keep it to themselves and contain the slight insult right in their own coconuts.
But the nagging thought immediately follows – Wa diay mosalig si Cong. Ondoy Cajes.
Cajes’ lack of trust could be in terms of his partners’ inability to handle the case.
Lack of trust could also be in terms of their inability to contribute something useful to solve the problem in the discussion phase.
The point is – it doesn’t bode well for the partnership when one of the partners (Cajes) does not trust his other partners (Casilan, Villas and Lagang) anymore.
Of what use is the partnership then when trust among the partners is wanting?
Well, that’s Cong. Ondoy’s burden.
But if I were in the shoes of his partners, I would be very disappointed. And if he could not explain to my satisfaction, I would sever right away the partnership.
And I would exclaim, mirisi!
* * *
The Manila-based lawyer of Cong. Cajes filed a motion for reconsideration late last week.
He wanted the Commission to review and re-evaluate the Minute Resolution of the Commission en banc that declared Aumentado as official candidate of Lakas-Kampi and declared as well Judith Cajes as an independent.
He wanted the Commission to reconsider their decision.
But he is facing one big problem - time.
The Comelec does not have the luxury of time. They can ill-afford to dilly dally because they still have a lot of things to do.
Another big problem is timing.
The Comelec has enacted a resolution directing the Law Department to publish the official list of candidates in the May 2010 elections.
And when I looked at the list, Gov. Erico Aumentado is listed as the official candidate of Lakas-Kampi for 2nd congressional district.
Judith Cajes is listed as an independent.
* * *
Unless this list is changed, this will be the list that will be used in the printing of official ballots for the May 2010 elections.
Now, can the Manila-based lawyer of Cong. Cajes still persuade the Commission en banc to change the official list?
That is the $64 dollar question, right?
* * *
In the latest survey by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), Liberal Party standard bearer Noynoy Aquino regains the lead over NPs Manny Villar at 41% to Villar’s 31.63% while Erap Estrada remains on the 3rd slot.
Also remaining at the bottom is Lakas-Kampi bet Gibo Teodoro with his 5% constant rating.
As expected, Villar and Estrada downplayed the result of the survey.
The drop in Villar’s rating was credited to the C5 controversy.
We shall have more of this in our next episode, stay tuned for more.

It doesn’t pay to sleep while driving. Day or night, it doesn’t matter.
The golden rule is - don’t drive when you sleep. Don’t sleep when you drive.
This was the lesson learned by a Congressman when he figured in a vehicular accident recently.
* * *
Once you survived a car crash, you should be thankful for the new lease in life.
And the best way to do this is to be humble about it; to accept your frailties and shortcomings and to learn the lesson well.
But the Congressman is far from being humble.
He lied about it and he’s in a fighting mood.
* * *
It was a show of force for the governor as he happily announced last Friday the decision of the Commission on Elections on the CONA controversy.
On hand to grace his announcement at the People’s Mansion were his top lieutenants in the 2nd district.
Among those present were board member Roygie of Inabanga, Dr. Mutya Macuno, Talibon Mayor Juaning Item, a representative of former Getafe Mayor Cary Camacho, Buenavista Mayor Elsa Tirol, Clarin Mayor Hermogenes Diezon, Danao Mayor Tom Gonzaga and CPG Mayor Tessie Boyboy, among others.
I noticed a dig, direct, at Congressman Cajes and his wife (kuno) Judith Cajes and indirect dig, at Congressman Edgar Chatto, when Aumentado said he was not “pugoso” (forceful) because he waited for 19 years to become governor.
Trinidad Mayor Judith Lao still has 2 terms left for mayor but she could not control the itch to run for congress.
Of course, she must have been persuaded to run as “stand-in” for her husband (kuno) so the congressional seat will remain in the “family” and will not be shared with others.
Many people are convinced that this could not be the initiative of the Trinidad Mayor but that of Congressman Ondoy Cajes.
In fact, in many of our conversations, it was clear that Judith Lao was not really decided.
She kept on telling me “wa pay klaro Attorney” when I asked if it were true that she’s running for Congress.
Not once but many times that I sought her view on her political plans.
And in all those times, she kept on saying “wa pay klaro.”
Of course, I learned later that all the while, they were already planning for a congressional run for Judith Lao.
“Dugay na na nga plano, di na mahimo mo-back-out pa si Mam Bebe,” were some of the statements that I got from a very reliable source.
And of course, it was also reported that they could not back out because they had promised their mayoralty bets in the district that she would really run for congress. As in, no retreat, no surrender.
Of course, this validates the story in one of our episodes here last year that Congressman Ondoy Cajes was really making his own independent political plans by creating his “parallel organizations.”
This was one of the heated issues during that fateful September 26 meeting in Manila where there was that, ah, “healthy discussion” of ideas between the governor and Ondoy Cajes.
I termed it here then as “heated discussion” which meant one and the same.
All the while, we were hitting the nail right smack on its head.
* * *
And there was an indirect dig at Congressman Ed Chatto because as I wrote in this column way back in September of last year, the governor was complaining that “wa pa gani mo makalingkod, ilogan na man ko ninyo sa pwesto” or words to that effect.
The issue of contention was the chairmanship of Lakas-Kampi-CMD in Bohol.
The “one for all, all for one” group of Chatto, Cajes and Boy Jala were said to be pushing for the transfer of provincial chairmanship from the gov to Chatto.
The gov maintained then that for as long as he was still the regional and provincial chair of Lakas, there was no reason for the transfer of leadership.
Meaning, if the party hierarchy removed him as provincial chair, then he would vacate the chairmanship. Until then, it was premature to even talk of transfer of leadership.
But the more appropriate reason could be that Chatto was not yet a candidate for governor then because the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) was still months ahead.
* * *
There was also another dig at Congressman Ondoy.
This time, the dig, I suppose, centered on his very person as a priest and as a politician.
The governor said that at one political gathering in San Miguel town recently, Congressman Ondoy Cajes told his leaders and supporters to wait for the decision from Comelec Manila.
He sounded very confident when he said they would just abide by the Comelec decision. He must have gotten assurance of a sure win, whatever that means.
Last Friday, the governor reminded Cajes that since the Comelec has already ruled on the merits of the case, Ondoy Cajes should be man enough to respect the decision.
And the governor continued his dig.
The governor cited the previous agreement between Cajes and former governor David Tirol that Cajes would only serve for 1 term and give way to Tirol.
He broke his promise, the governor said, when he refused to yield the seat to Tirol.
Against this pattern of lies and deceit, the governor said he was not hopeful that Ondoy Cajes would also honor his commitment to respect the Comelec decision.
Ouch!
* * *
Actually, the governor was very diplomatic when he limited his narration of the colored history of lies of Ondoy Cajes.
He didn’t mention another breach of promise by Cong. Ondoy Cajes.
And I don’t mean his breach of priestly vow.
We’ll have that in our succeeding episodes.
In the meantime, I’m sure Congressman Ondoy is now eating his lollipop.
* * *
Why lollipop?
Because he said the CONA issued by Lakas-Kampi-CMD reinstating the gov’s and revoking his wife’s CONA was like a lollipop.
He said the CONA doesn’t matter anymore because it was done after the period of filing of the COC. As in the lollipop was given to stop the whining from the gov.
But reading through the Resolution of the Comelec en banc, it is very clear that the reinstated CONA was no mere lollipop.
Very clearly, it was just Ondoy Cajes’ lolly.
Having said that, I repeat, I’m sure Cong. Ondoy is now enjoying his lollies.
* * *
Now that Judith Lao is declared as an independent candidate for the 2nd district, she has several options. Rather, Congressman Ondoy has several options.
He can eat his lollipop, swallow his pride and continue the fight or be humble about it and withdraw.
But I don’t think he will ask his “wife” to withdraw. He has already invested a lot. He has already organized and funded a parallel organization in the district that would support the Team Cajes only.
He has made a commitment (kuno) to the members of the parallel organization that he would carry on the fight. Apparently, the members considered Cajes as an honorable man, that he’s capable of fulfilling his promise or commitment.
Either they’re ignorant or they forgot the fact that Cong. Ondoy Cajes has made commitments and vows before but he turned his back on them.
Anyway, Ondoy Cajes bragged repeatedly over the radio that the group of Cong. Edgar Chatto, Conching Lim and Arthur Yap would support Judith Cajes.
Ondoy made this pronouncement during those times that the
Comelec has not yet issued its verdict on the CONA case. So we can understand the seeming stupidity of the remarks.
But now that the Comelec has declared Aumentado as the official candidate and Judith Cajes as an independent, I wonder if Cong. Ondoy has learned the art of eating words.
If he does, now is the time to eat his words.
For how can Chatto, Lim and Yap support Judith Cajes when she’s not Lakas-Kampi-CMD party bet?
She is now an independent.
Of course, Chatto and Lim can secretly support Judith Cajes if they want. As in special operations.
But that would be another stab in the back for the governor from Cong. Edgar Chatto.
How many times can the governor endure stabbing incidents from Cong. Ed Chatto?
And if Cong. Chatto does that (never mind Conching Lim, she’s a nobody in the 2nd district), Aumentado can return the favor. He can also junk Chatto and Lim in the 2nd district. I suppose this is something that should jolt Edgar Chatto from being suicidal.
In which case, it would be to his best interest to simply toe the party line and support Aumentado.
We shall have Conching Lim’s betrayal in our next episode. Abangan.
More when we return, stay tuned for more!