Supporting Duterte — ‘For profit’
Now that President Duterte is well entrenched in power and has been performing admirably well, it is sad to note that a number of those who claimed to be his ardent supporters during the presidential campaign are now turning out to be “Supporters for a Profit” and not for a good cause.
Someone recently approached me to share their disappointment with one of those prominent celebrities who was very vocal and active during the elections but has now revealed her true colors as an influence peddler claiming to have access and influence on cabinet members etc. I found out that the influence peddler asked for a cool P2 million for representations to be made with DENR regional officials in order to get environmental clearances. Sadly, the influence peddler did not deliver and even worse did not return a single centavo. Instead of making a scene or going ballistic, the victims has opted to lift the whole matter to God and to media, which is why I got whiff of the misdeal.
When you look up the person or Google you’ll probably come across a Facebook account that really portrays her as an ardent supporter. The packaging will certainly impress or mislead the innocent or the gullible. Unfortunately it comes at the expense of President Duterte and his administration.
In fairness to the President and Malacanang officials, if and when they get word or a legitimate complaint, they immediately terminate such characters from government which is what happened to a so-called supporter who had actually systematically studied the various PRO-Duterte groups to determine which of them had a direct line or had the ear of those above. The person subsequently joined one in the Visayas and donated 2 or 3 million pesos and then when President Duterte won, the supporter with a hidden agenda started “knocking on the doors” of several government agencies until the person managed to wiggle in to be appointed as head of a prestigious agency. Fortunately as the Bible often warns us, no secret remains hidden and in a short matter of time, the false supporter was kicked out of office when charges of abuse of power and excessive traveling surfaced.
*** Last week, we witnessed how two groups both of whom professed loyalty and support for President Duterte were at each other’s throat right in front of the media as well as the Senate. All three claimed to be in government at the invitation of the President and to serve at his pleasure. But quiet honestly given their background and the reality of patronage politics, many people have doubts and are asking, what’s really in it for them especially the coffers and available businesses at the PCSO.
The three of course are PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan versus Gambling celebrity Atong Ang and the often controversial Sandra Cam. If we listened to each side and studied their controversial or colorful careers and personal history, the first thing you would wonder about is how and why they got the ear or attention of President Duterte. I realize that the President believes in getting professionals and experienced people but these individuals do not bring order or credibility to the table because they are either inexperienced in gaming like Balutan or magnets for controversy such as Ang and Cam and their personal history casts doubt on their possible agendas. If the President is merely paying back two of them for their loyalty and support, the payback is now costing the President more in terms of reputation management. If the President called in Atong Ang to save the PCSO, I consider it cruel and unusual punishment to give a Professional Gambler like Atong Ang such a task and overwhelming temptation. Imagine all of those goodies and you can’t have any? No wonder the guy is going ballistic at Balutan and anyone else he can think of.
The next question to ask is why they are being allowed to publicly insult or verbally assault each other? Is this the President’s way of eliminating them as a nuisance or as a problem – by letting them eliminate each other in front of the Senate? Or are the three being taken for willing stooges in order to start a bigger fire in the Senate? Sorry, I know the President as a straight shooting – no nonsense boss, but people are wondering why Malacanang has not stepped in to tell the three to tone things down or put a sock on it!
The third question is why Senator Ping Lacson allowed his committee to be distracted or side tracked when the actual agenda or reason for the Senate investigation is to investigate in aid of legislation the lavish or excessive amount spent by the PCSO for their Christmas party. In first place what new laws can they craft about graft that has not already been written! Sorry but I have watched Senator Lacson often enough when he conducts committee hearings and he is never one to let the respondents go off course or in any way or form deviate from the agenda or purpose of the hearing.
If you think about it, why was Atong Ang called in when he did not have a direct hand or knowledge about the Christmas party preparations, costings and expenditures? Sandra Cam simply had to present her position paper, her documents etc. Needless to say, General Balutan’s conduct or weak defense left him vulnerable to suspicion. There is a saying about giving people enough rope to hang themselves, in the case of Atong Ang, Sandra Cam, and GM Balutan, they were given enough air time to waste our time! What is the real agenda behind the scandal? Clearly some people hope to gain and profit from all these performances, but at whose expense? Let us all keep in mind that the next election is coming soon and some people believe it maybe: Oplan Fund Raising.