The Plot
by Lito Banayo
from MALAYA
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Sometime in 2003, when the Supreme Court voted to remand the Kuratong Baleleng case to the Quezon
City RTC, an imminent warrant of arrest would have been issued by the judge to whom the case would have
been raffled off. The minions of the powerful couple in Malacanang were salivating at the prospect of getting
Panfilo Lacson, tormentor of the corrupt, handcuffed and hailed to jail.
Then, a palace insider who was known to somebody known to me, sought a meeting at a place distant
enough, and perhaps “safe enough” from the metropolis. There he revealed the creation of an instant “task
force”, headed by a trusted Malacanang official who apart from being a certifiable cabalen, used to be a
media practitioner. He supervised a group composed of high-level cabinet and agency heads, one of whom
was certifiably low-life. Already the task force had met, in Malacanang misma, and a master plan on how to
effect the arrest of Lacson, right after the warrant was issued by the RTC judge, took shape.
The following night, I arranged a dinner for a small group of reporters where I blew the whistle on the task
force. The high Malacanang official was livid with rage, and mouthed ad hominems at me and charged that I
was faking my story. No such thing, he insisted. But as the lid had been blown, the task force had to go back
to the drawing board. Fortunately for Lacson, when the case was raffled, the roulette pointed to a lady judge
with balls, who could not be badgered by the executive branch and she refused to issue a warrant.
In any case, Malacanang quietly launched a pogrom, and removed two middle level officials because they
were Lacson “spies” kuno. Too bad for the two, one of whom happens to be the friend of another friend, but
they never got my informant, who has been a reliable source about the many evil plots that lurk within the
stinking corridors of power.
Last Sunday night, he sent me a text message, and asked that we meet early the following day. “It’s very
important”, he said.
“What you wrote about when you resumed column-writing has been passing the rounds. Almost all the
opposition blogs have been busy propagating “Her Man”. Everybody is again wondering how come you
found out. I myself wonder because it did not come from me. Saan nga ba?”
And of course I invoked my right to protect my source. He confirmed what I wrote in that article, based from
his own vantage point. But his new revelations that night about another plot almost made me retch.
“What happens if somehow the (automation) machines fail to work?”, he hypothetically asked.
“Comelec said they will have to do a manual count and canvass on the basis of the shaded ovals opposite
each candidate”, I advanced.
“And how long will that take? Wouldn’t the local candidates, including the congressional, be proclaimed first
by the boards of canvassers, while the national will yet be transmitted to Intramuros?”, he segued.
“Clear. And you’re saying that by June 30, no senators, no vice-president, and most important, no president
shall have been proclaimed?”, I asked.
“Yup. Congress is unable to proclaim anyone…”
“And all the top four officials are functus oficio. The military takes over a paralyzed government amid civilian
chaos.”, I surmised.
“Uh…oh…too risky for my Dona. She might end up in the belly of the tiger.”
“But Del Bangit will be in charge then, complete with the ‘Spirit’ of ‘78”, I said, referring of course to the
mistahs of PMA Class of 1978.
“Still — too chancy…you know that saying about tiger stripes”, he retorted.
“So … your Dona will choose a new Senate President?”, I inquired. (The Senate is a continuing body. Juan
Ponce Enrile is now third in the line of succession, but he may not have been proclaimed a re-elected
senator by then.)
“Yes, po”, suddenly sounding deferential, “pero balita ko po naayos na ni Manny Villar ang mga boto”.
I did quick mental calculations, and drew some kind of matrix in a paper napkin. SP-JPE was elected on the
basis of a coalition of 2 Liberals, namely Mar and Pong Biazon, plus Ping and Jamby, plus NPC’s Chiz and
Loren, plus the administration’s Edong, Migs, and Bong, plus PMP’s Jinggoy, quasi-independent Dick
Gordon, plus Gringo and JPE himself. Noynoy wanted to join his fellow LP’s, but in deference to his ailing
mother whose term JPE at the time wanted to cut short, he decided to abstain. When the majority of 13 had
been cobbled, Miriam rhymed in even if she had recused herself earlier, and so did Lapid, both of whom the
new majority tolerated just to fortify their flanks. A motley group indeed.
On the other side, the Villar corner, remained the siblings Cayetano, plus Joker, plus Nene, plus Kiko, a
Liberal Party member who identified better with the Wednesday Dining Society. The scorecard: 15-6-2 (One
abstention in the case of Noynoy plus Trillanes in the brig).
But things have changed. Loren is now with Villar, although presumably Kiko will at last be loyal to the LP,
which somehow neutralizes Loren’s volte face..
Which makes a fulcrum out of Bong and Lapid, both running under the PaLaKa ticket, plus Miriam who’s
also with Villar, plus Jinggoy, plus Dick who’s also running for president, plus Edong and Migs.
Okay. Bong, Lito, Jinggoy, Miriam, Dick, Edong and Migs removed from JPE is 15 minus 7 equals 8. Those
seven, added to the Cayetanos, plus Joker and Nene, plus Loren, and Villar, mismo, equals — 14! The
magic number. And even if Noynoy this time wants to cast a vote for the status quo, so what?
But will Migs bite, and be with Nene in the same tent? What about Dick, who styles himself as too much of
an independent?
“I do not know the “who” specifics. I just know there is a plot, and I was told that it’s a go. So apparently, Villar
and my Dona has the numbers all sewn up”, he stated. “As you can see, my Dona wants to appoint the next
Chief Justice. She is covering all the bases. Honestly, this is way too much”, he added.
“Oh, and by the way, Ping might not even be able to vote for JPE. You know…Dacer-Corbito”, he further said.
Suddenly I recalled what I saw in Friday night’s late newscast. It was reported that Carina Dacer, one of
Bubby’s heiresses, was preparing to add Erap in the Dacer-Corbito charge sheet. But, they would rather
watch what happens in the “trial” of Ping Lacson.
Aha! Twisting the rope into a noose! That just might explain why Jinggoy was included in the “swing” list. If
Erap’s freedom is on the line, can the son be far away from becoming an acquiescent instrument to the plot?
“But who will be selected as the next SP?”, I half-knowingly asked, “and the deed must be consummated by
February 5”.
It has to be one who could stay as senator till 2013, which means Joker? Edong? Or Villar, mismo! Bingo!
Who, of course, is just between La Dona and El Villar to transact, with Erap’s head on the dock.
Now, if you were the Dona, who would you trust more — lawyers Joker and Edong who can be wily and
wilier, or someone who has already thrown in billions towards an election where the votes may not even be
counted?
* * *
But on Saturday, JPE was interviewed on radio where he admitted that nine senators had already signed the
committee report on the C-5 ethics investigation. On Sunday, I read the newspaper report about JPE’s
interview. Then on Monday, a broadsheet exposed the committee report, which still lacked two signatures as
of Sunday night, my Senate sources told me. The verdict clearly spelled out Villar’s guilt but the sentence, if
we may call it that, is rather light — censure, not expulsion nor suspension, and I suppose this was because
it would be difficult to entice some senators to agree to expel or suspend Villar. But the committee report
also asked Villar to reimburse the Republic to the tune of 6.2 billion pesos. There will be time to discuss the
report more lengthily which got the required majority of signatories Monday night.
The plot to unseat JPE and install a Gloria-acceptable Senate President who could act as transition
president should there be a failure of elections must have been stopped dead on its Villar-oiled tracks by the
release of the C-5 committee report. The plot my friend revealed has been foiled, or so I believe. One more
proof that there is God.
But of course, Villar will try his darnedest to wiggle out from this judgment of his peers. Of course, he and his
propagandists will say this is all about politics and his presidential quest. And of course, his media relations
people will work overtime, and with millions more to throw in, to minimize the damage.
Which is why we need to keep calling on God.
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