ON TARGET
Gimmickry of the lowest kind
By Ramon TulfoPhilippine Daily Inquirer
Here’s a piece of unsolicited advice to President Noy the next time he pays a visit to flood victims: Please don’t bring people who are eyeing senatorial slots in your Liberal Party.
They make your visit to the victims look like a campaign sortie, Mr. President.
And to the senatorial hopefuls who have the gall to show their faces to the flood victims: “Mahiya-hiya naman kayo! (You should be ashamed of yourselves!)”
This is no time to campaign; there is plenty of time to do that.
These people who shed crocodile tears for the flood victims remind me of funeral parlor representatives who used to hang around hospital corridors when I was a police reporter.
Funeral parlor agents would “sympathize” with grieving relatives of a patient who just died, and then offer their services.
I knew one who would even join in the crying even if he was not related to the person who just passed on or never met him/her at all.
This is gimmickry of the lowest kind.
* * *
It was alright for the President to bring his sister Kris, an entertainment personality, along with him to the evacuation centers.
Kris’ presence brought cheers to people who lost their homes and even loved ones to the floods.
P-Noy should have invited his other siblings—Ballsy, Pinky and Viel—to tag along with him.
The other Aquino sisters, who try to avoid the media if they can, are very sincere in helping their fellowmen.
The sight of the Aquino siblings would have somehow lessened the feeling of despair and helplessness of the flood victims.
They would have reminded the people of their beloved mom, former President Cory.
* * *
Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon was with the President during Wednesday’s visit to the flood victims.
Is he running for the Senate?
If he is, he should resign as soon as possible.
In fact, he should have resigned months ago when there were reports he was eyeing a seat.
His resignation would put a stop to talk that he’s staying on at the Bureau of Customs to accumulate money to be used for his senatorial campaign.
Does Biazon know that some of his subordinates are using his name to collect tara (bribes) from importers and smugglers?
The same subordinates allegedly talked to people who tried to sneak in the huge rice shipment seized at the Subic Freeport recently, according to my sources.
The seized smuggled rice shipment was just a tip of the iceberg.
My spies at customs say it was part of a rice shipment of 1,500 containers which will be arriving at the ports of Cagayan de Oro and Davao.
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Tags: disaster , Flood , Liberal Party , Politics
