Not about Gordon, Trillanes

E pa binang malambat, ing pamangarana metung a maragul a dake ning pamaglolo da ring baintaung Kapampangan karing karelang apiling dalagang palsintan. Bayu la manik o mamanikan king pibale-bale ding kababaynan, muna pamu ing pamagdalit mayumung kundiman at iti mangapalyaring maralas neng kaybat ning sisilim o libutad ning kabengyan. Ay, mipasunis-sunis ku amanu, e ku man sasaryan!

Ing pamangarana kambe ne ning pamamanikan o ing awsan da ring keraklan a pamanyawad ning baintau king gamat ning babai karing keyang pengari. Senayan na ing atin yang makataluking mang-gitara ing baintau at mekad metung a byasa king pamagdalit nung ya e ya byasang magdalit arana. Malilyari mu pin a misan ita pang magdalit ya ing abuburyanan na ning aranan.

E ta no pisasabyan deng magkukumwaring mangarana dapot kapanakawan pala ing kapagnsan da. Kabang mangarana la reng aliwa, atin naman karela ing king gulutan ning bale ning babai ing magsamantalang manako. Aliwa ita.

Deng aranan silip-silip la pamu kareng siwang ning dalig da o keng makabusning bagyang awang at paguumasdan da la’t pakatingiran ding mangarana. Deng pengari pamu at aliwang katubale ilang munang makiyarap at tatando keng awang o babo ning karelang eran. Kaybat da lang akilatis deng mangarana, papanikan da la nung mayap la pepalto o bagsakanan da lang awang e la pa man yaring mangarana nung e do kapad a datang.

Maralas dang daralit deng mangarana pane mayumung pakirandamang dalit o itang king kutub ning lalaki aburi na ning babai. “O sulu king dalumdum ning bengi… ”

Kabud akaparan da la reng mangarana o mekad ing pamangarana da buklatanan da na lang awang at tando ne kanita ing dalagang aranan. Kalakalale yang manic ing baintau nung masikan-sikan ya lub yang diling manik o nung ali naman, ituki nong manik reng abe nang mengarana. Nung aburyanan da la arana, paulit de ing dalit a aburyanan da ring makibale.

Kapanik da, keng luklukan maglibutad ya ing tata king aranan at mangarana. Inya e ya tambing makabulad ing mengarana. Pasuglapsuglap la pa keng mumuna at mekad muna pa kaniti ing pamamye ning baintau king darala nang pasalubung anting pampalambut lub karing pengari at tatawli ing para king inaranang dalaga.

Ken ne mang tutuki ing dikil keng pamagpusitara.

*** Dake Talabaldugan: 1. karayá¹ – (palagyu) upaya ning guni-guni. English – imagery, imagination; mental picturing power. Alimbawa king pamangamit:“Masikan la karaya ding talagulis at talasulat inya makapaglalang lang alang pagkyapusan.”

2. karayá² – (panguri) sasabulbul/ darabulbul a daya, marakal tutulung daya. English – bloody, oozing with blood.

EXPECT an interesting hearing Thursday when President Rodrigo Duterte’s son and son-in-law appear before the Senate to respond to allegations of involvement in corruption at the Bureau of Customs.

There are doubts anything solid and new would come out of the hearing or that the Senate body would end up with information they could use for a successful conclusion to its inquiry. But what senators can do is to not make the hearing about themselves by quarreling with each other but about the problem of corruption.

Presidential son Paolo Duterte and presidential son-in-law Maneses Carpio issued a statement yesterday, saying they would appear before the Senate blue ribbon committee that is investigating the shabu shipment from China worth P6.4 billion that passed through the customs bureau.

Paolo and Carpio, husband of the President’s daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, are expected to deny the claim they had a part in the shabu shipment. They are likely to dispute a statement on their involvement in a group that greases palms at the customs office so shipments get into the country without question. They are also expected to explain their ties with a businessman said to be a drug trader.

In accepting the invitation, Paolo and Carpio said in a statement, “We duly recognize the coercive powers of the Senate of the Philippines as part of the legislative branch of government and their authority to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation. We commit to respect the invitation and attend the hearing.”

Paolo and Carpio were mentioned in the testimony of customs fixer Mark Taguba in relation to the so-called Davao Group. Taguba later said the two were not involved in corruption at the Bureau of Customs and that his earlier statement was based on hearsay.

The invitation to Paolo and Carpio came as a surprise after the turnaround of Taguba and the verbal exchange between Sen. Richard Gordon, committee chair, and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in the last hearing. It started when Trillanes, a Duterte critic, called for the Senate to invite Paolo and Carpio to the next hearing. Gordon and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III objected as the involvement of the two was not established. Trillanes said the blue ribbon committee was a “committee de abswelto (absolving)” for influential people.

This led to a verbal exchange that ended with Gordon saying he would file an ethics complaint against Trillanes.

Gordon issued yesterday the invitation for Paolo and Carpio. Trillanes said Gordon decided this after he was pressured by the public. With the Thursday session set up to have Paolo and Carpio as guests, we hope the inquiry would lead to action in terms of new legislation and not end up as a venue for more of the fireworks between Trillanes and Gordon. Let the hearing not be about Gordon and Trillanes but about the deep-seated problem of corruption at the customs bureau.