JPE, Jackie, Meilou and Tonycarp and the Sigma Rhogues
ARIDDLE wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as Churchill would describe Russia, may characterize Juan Ponce Enrile. Had the senatorial elections been held last year, son Jackie might have made it to the Senate. Then his arguably fictive and mythical Memoirs came out followed by the killer 2012 Pamaskos. Now, Jackie might not make it. I am about to cross him out of my possibles/probables.
JPE had only the nicest things to say in his Memoirs about the Aquinos. But, he had only nasty things to say about ailing Uncle Jovy Salonga, who can no longer give his side of the story, as it were. Ingrato? JPE and Uncle joined Sigma Rho, from which Uncle, enlightened, resigned.
Had JPE written his Memoirs before PNoy became prez, he might have had a totally different recall of Prez Cory, who he vowed early on to defeat and never did. But, today, he needs her son’s support for Jackie, as a bequest from one senator of the realm to another, in our distressing royalty, mga dugong bughaw.
I had hoped to read in JPE’s Memoirs about the day Prez Cory fired him, on November 23, 1986, his expectations, his sentiments in defeat, etc. Nada. Seven weeks later he said he had Abdulhawid Bidin named as Supreme Court (SC) Justice [“upon my recommendation”, p. 398; huh?] which discombobulates. I had thought that was my baby given what our lawyers in the Ledesma firm had told me about that exemplary CFI Judge in Zambo City trying our Hahn-Manila case. I was, in 1986, sorta Cory Aquino, Jr., a litigator - by definition, a tsismoso - consulted on SC appointments. ( I myself was named SC Justice two weeks after J. Bidin. I turned it down. Reward? But, serving is its own reward.) JPE’s recommending anyone for the SC would not have been a plus, a kiss of death even, given so many ultra-qualified prospects then. Now, at all levels in government, dami po yatang mga pinabili lang ng suka, household names only in their own households.
I have met son Jackie only once; my impression, positive. At least he has political experience which is more than I can say for top absentee Manny Pacquiao’s brother who will run as congressman in Gen. Santos and Jinkee, as vice guv. Diyos na Mahabagin. Another Sultanate!
On page 672, JPE wrote that Senator Salonga said that “no arrest warrant was effected here in the Senate . . . the Chair understands that Senator Enrile on his own volition went to another building within the city. It may be that sometime tonite he may be arrested. That was a lie. . . .” Uncle Jovy was a liar? But, whatever for? JPE could have been kinder by simply saying Uncle was wrong. Churchill would have written that Uncle had committed a “terminological inexactitude.” Or JPE could have simply let go of his Sigma Rho brod, who was nice to him in his days in the Senate. Wala po yatang utang na loob. User. Where JPE was arrested was so petty, de minimis. On the Bahamas- Benguet deal (pp. 238-45), I would not bore the reader with details on how JPE triumphally belittled Uncle’s many- splendored abilities as a lawmaker-lawyer.
Uncle treated JPE fraternally. I doubt that PCGG Commisioner Ramon Diaz, gone, was a Sigma Rhogue. I would hear about his bitter 1986 shouting matches with JPE, who many thought creatively made money during martial law but the nation was grateful to him, FVR, Gringo, et al. for Edsa ’ 86.
Nelson Navarro could have asked many foolish questions of the day. Like was it not that JPE nervously confessed having cheated by 300,000 votes for Macoy in Cagayan in 1986 and had faked his ambush? Like a dying man’s declaration; Manong Fabian Ver wanted to barbecue those in Crame, caught on nationwide-TV.
JPE says he bankrolled ACCRALaw (pp. 349-50) which could have been named PEACCRA, the way he openly lends his name to PECABAR. But, in the 70’s/80’s that was never openly acknowledged, to the point that, if my memory is true, he even sued a newsmag and a formidable writer, for mentioning the link.
In 1972, an ACCRA firm foun- der took me to its bufete on Ayala Avenue, the Philbanking Bldg., and pointed out JPE’s room. At the Manila Hotel in early 1972, another firm Founder, Ed Angara, asked me to lunch with him, and invited me to join his firm; I declined saying half in jest it was their clients I’d love to sue. . . , which was taken in good grace.
Nelson may have simply helped prove the Durants correct: all autobiography is vanity. He could have advised JPE not to be so hard on one fighting him during martial law as if JPE bore a grudge against my now badly-ailing Uncle. Both deserve to be recalled by their best.
Another prominent Sigma Rhogue, unforgiving Justice Tony Carpio is hard on Chief Justice ( CJ) Meilou Sereno. The latest casus belli is the “secondment” of a UP staffer ( Atty. Solomon Lumba) to the Supreme Court. Tony questioned it and somehow enterprising Jomar Canlas reported it. It is hard not to connect the leakage to Meilou beating TonyCarp for CJ. Panyero Lumba has now severed his job ties to UP to remedy the situation. An easily correctible lapse not striking “at the orderly work- ings, let alone the life, of the government.” To err is human. Hence, no outrage.
It seems Meilou only gets the entire Supreme Court to support her against the people in not having to disclose info. Omerta. Mafia-type silence on SALNs seems to carry the day. Meilou and Tony earlier disclosed mere elliptical summaries of their SALNs at a time both cast a moist eye on the vacant CJ post. But now, while personal clashes continue they unite against the people. The Supreme Court cannot amend R.A. No. 6713. The House is still formulating its implementing rules, 23 years after the law entered into force. The Civil Service Commission is reported to have issued new rules but apparently is not enforcing Sec. 7 of R.A. No. 3019, on income earned, family expenses and taxes paid the previous year, which Prez Aquino down the line scoff at. Amnesty may be called for, with a warning on future noncompliance.
Good people change others, better people change the system, the best one change themselves. Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday provide an entry point to enter into oneself.