Et tu, Gout?

Only someone who has ever suffered a gout attack and survived to tell the tale knows what I’m talking about. I can hardly think let alone come up with something remotely intelligent to say through the blazing agony. So, for today, I will leave politics alone. I mean, who cares, right, that a man who won fair and square in the last election has been disqualified because of a technicality? Although Arthur Despi, who will have to give up the mayoral seat of Bantayan because the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Supreme Court (SC) said so, should have known that his days were numbered. After all, it was apparent, right from the start, that his candidacy was in question.

As early as Dec. 11, 2015, his rival, Ian Christopher Escario, filed a petition asking the Comelec to cancel Despi’s certificate of candidacy (COC) because the latter allegedly lied about his certificate of nomination and acceptance.

Despi had claimed that he was endorsed by Abag Promdi, but this was denied by the Promdi secretary general Oscar Canton. Also, Despi admitted that he had his nomination notarized in Canton’s absence.

On May 7, 2016, or two days before election, the Comelec First Order canceled Despi’s COC. Despi filed a motion for reconsideration, which was denied by the Comelec en banc. He brought the matter to the SC, only to be denied again. And that was supposed to be the end of it. No doubt Despi had seen the writing on the wall, so to speak, he just chose to ignore it. And continues to do so.

If I were Despi, I would relinquish the mayoral seat immediately and peacefully, and prepare for the next election. The results last year prove that he has a good fighting chance of reclaiming the position.

So definitely no politics today. And no discussing illegal drugs either.

But who knew, that while government troops were combing Bohol’s countryside for Abu Sayyaf stragglers, a resident of Clarin was about to repack three kilos of shabu with an estimated worth of P18 million?

If they hadn’t received the tip, police would not have known that a huge quantity of drugs had arrived in the house of Teofilo “Tamjun” Tampus in Barangay Nahawan. Teofilo claimed that he was being paid P3,000 a week to repack the shabu.

Anyway, despite the throbbing on my big toe, which made me miss my afternoon jog at the oval, I could not turn down the offer of lechon at the newsroom.

As I limped to grab the skin around the neck, I thought of the pride that SunStar colleague Elias O. Baquero must have felt when he discovered his daughter passed the Bar exams.

Thanks for the treat, Mayor El!