“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” –Henry Kissinger

Nobody bellyached when Davao del Norte first district Rep. Pantaleon ‘Playboy Bebot’ Alvarez was mutinied and ousted as Speaker of the House. There was no Mark Antony-like soliloquy, nobody among the lower ranks threatened to commit hara-kiri, and no postmortem protest by PDP-Laban figureheads (except for softy Senator Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III throwing tantrums).

The overthrow, which was accepted with a grain of salt by both Alvarez supporters and detractors, supposedly had the fingerprint of first daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, all over it. The message was clear: Playboy Bebot deserved the door as his comeuppance for picking an unnecessary fight with the first daughter and poking his nose into her political party.

Earlier, by stroke of luck, former president, Pampanga second district Rep. Gloria ‘Ate Glo’ Macapagal Arroyo, who was supposed to be in jail for plunder, was released from house arrest after “the Angry Man,” her political benefactor, catapulted to power in 2016. Such a rise was a signal for a stunning resurrection.

After inheriting her son’s office, Macapagal Arroyo’s political rehabilitation has reached its peak with her installation as speaker.

The cat is out of the bag

There is no turning back; if the sinister plot to hijack the Constitution and shift to a federal form of government succeeds, she could become prime minister.

Between Playboy Bebot and Ate Glo, lawmakers opted for the lesser evil; essentially, going from “worse to bad.” Being morally unfit and a bad influence, Playboy Bebot is a worse speaker; however, for being mentally dishonest (“Hello Garci”) and tainted with the whiff of graft and corruption, Ate Glo is a bad choice.

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I was misinterpreted after encouraging the friends and family of Barangay Monica-Blumentritt Captain Keith ‘Dabing’ Espinosa III of Iloilo City’s City Proper district and her husband, Jesus ‘Jing-Jing’ Espinosa, Jr. in a previous column.

It is well-known throughout the Western Visayas, particularly Iloilo City, that the couple has been receiving threats due to alleged involvement with illegal drugs and, despite Jing-Jing currently behind bars at the Iloilo Provincial Jail, Police Regional Office-6 director, Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, insists he continues to engage in illegal drugs and is using family members, including his wife, as fronts.

When I said “Pray for Jing-Jing and Dabing,” it did not mean they were immaculate and should not be indicted, but they should be brought to court unscathed. As Christians, we advocate for any suspected criminal be provided due process and treated humanely – this not only applies to the aforementioned couple, but to all “notorious” characters still enjoying their freedom.

This utmost concern must be aired amid the current culture of impunity, exhibited in the series of summary executions that have pervaded our society under the present administration, which, based on numerous anti-illegal drug operations conducted by police, has shown callous disregard for human life.

Any person whose guilt has not yet been proven beyond reasonable doubt is entitled to his or her right to life./WDJ