DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
07/09/10
What is a “Red Mass?” I later found out that it is an annual mass of the Catholic Church for lawyers, judges, magistrates, and all those who seek and work for justice. I saw this item in a GNN regular news program and had to wait for it to reappear before I could clearly spell out the words “red mass.” But even before the whole news item read “P-Noy late for Red Mass at the Cathedral,” all I could blurt out was “Late again?!!”
This clearly is not just a “wang-wang” matter. It’s beginning to look more like an ingrained habit that is reflective of natural character. I hope this is not PeNoy’s way of reaffirming the truism of the much-derided “Pinoy time” (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?); but if that is his intention, then he’s doing it absolutely well. Now, the much-derided character of Pinoy time, likened to a presidential trait, or P-Noy time, even becomes a truly presidential — even national — virtue, as writers of mainstream media seem to want.
Thus, in honor of this highly-praised official presidential demeanor, I’m presenting a famous quote on the art of being late. From Marilyn Monroe: “I am invariably late for appointments — sometimes as much as two hours. I’ve tried to change my ways but the things that make me late are too strong, and too pleasing.”
It seems that this fun habit is just “too strong and too pleasing,” like the luxury of time enjoyed by the hacenderos who never have to hurry with an army of alalays, bodyguards, and gofers waiting.
But wait, there was another Malacañang occupant who liked to be caught up in traffic. Remember Fidel Ramos and the long, unmoving lines of cars and vehicles on South Expressway coming from his home in Alabang? It circulated in the media that FVR actually enjoyed it because it was there that he could sleep. And PeNoy swears by FVR’s “efficiency?”
It is true that even from some non-admirers of PeNoy, there is a sense of obligatory kindness to him these days, as if it were totally impolite and improper to be other than deferring to the one who shuns the “wang-wang” and painstakingly projects himself to be (ahem) humble.
One of our TV crew said: “It’s true, his car is not tinted; I could him see through his car windows as he passed where we line up for our ride.” Well, I thought, if I rode in one of those limousines with frigid air-conditioning, I wouldn’t need tints either.
I suppose one can indeed look at an issue from many different angles, from the positive as those praising PeNoy for his P-Noy time for depriving himself of the “wang-wang” to those who see it as really corny and hypocritical as I do. PeNoy can streak in front of the Presidential Honor Guard tomorrow in full view of the press and the writers of mainstream media will still find something great to write about.
I have a sense of déjà vu from all these because this is the exactly the same treatment Gloria Arroyo got from print and broadcast media in her first two years following her Edsa II power grab. I have the same sense of outrage from watching all this foolishness of the Yellow media’s patent idolatry, and that’s why I must insist on using PeNoy as I used Gloria Labandera then.
Indeed, we can look at the matter from many sides. And from a US baseball legend, who some say inspired the birth of a cartoon character that PeNoy’s stride seems to mimic, Yogi Berra’s “It gets late early out there” could well be speaking for PeNoy, too.
The bottom line is that this issue is also about media and their foibles. For the Yellow media, that are especially sanctimonious about their intentions (as the whole Yellow movement is about itself), happier days are here again. Indeed, inasmuch as PeNoy is in the clutches of the financial and banking mafia, he is also very thankful to his loyal media.
But before you know it, one of the major pro-PeNoy columnists of the Inquirer already has his banker-sister appointed as chief of the GSIS. So why not appoint someone from the government employees’ sector (such as Land Bank, which needs to have the GSIS funds transferred to the Aboitiz’s Union Bank returned) who knows both financial and other non-financial concerns of the fund’s government employee-members? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
On a more positive note (no matter how difficult, given PeNoy’s first week of booboos), let’s raise some quotes on “lateness” that should be good advice to the dearly beloved president of the Yellows whom they will always see with their yellow rose-colored glasses.
From Jonathan Swift: “I never knew a man come to greatness or eminence who lay abed late in the morning.”
Or maybe from Bill Gates: “In this business, by the time you realize you’re in trouble, it’s too late to save yourself. Unless you’re running scared all the time, you’re gone.”
(Tune in to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m.; Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV — Infowars Edition, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., featuring “Pro Bono: Adaza’s Struggle vs Hocus PCOS — The Final Chapter;” also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
