Deja vu – idols & refugee cars

The story is that a week before the official filing of COCs, a “candidate” and close relatives gathered to discuss the presidential aspirant’s plans and, according to the storyteller, the women around the candidate were all gung-ho about the plan. However, one outspoken member of the family decided to speak his mind and asked the candidate:

“Do you really want to expose our families and our children to the same experiences that we all went through with your parents and our parents? Have you forgotten how we too suffered and continue to suffer because of all the politics of their generation and now you want to expose our children to the same bad experiences we went through? Are you willing to see all the ugliness, hatred and anger that went on for years go further? Do you want people to dig up all of that all over again?”

While the women were in shock, the relative made a dramatic pause and delivered the punchline: “What worries me more than you running for president is if you actually win. What happens if that pushes people to go out in the streets and triggers another ‘Peoples Revolution’ or EDSA 1. What then?”

The relative reportedly went further by warning the candidate of making alliances with people who never lifted a finger to help him in his political challenges and who only accommodated a special request of his family not because of friendship but in order to get the votes of his provincemates or supporters.

I initially chose not to write about it since it was a “family matter” but now that the “candidate” Bongbong Marcos has busied himself with running for president and social media is plastered daily with different accounts and horror stories as well as accusations against the Marcoses connected to Martial Law, the ill-gotten wealth cases, even the controversial Oxford education of Bongbong, it is safe to say that his well-meaning relative has turned out to be the prophet none of them would listen to.

The most recent anti-Marcos video showed students lined up on a street in Cebu City, not to welcome Bongbong Marcos but to chant “F**k you Marcos.” The next day, people shared an image of the former first lady on Facebook alongside figures on ill-gotten wealth, PCGG recoveries, cases, etc. In essence, people are digging up the past, digging up the dirt and sharpening tongues, pens and what have you to get back at the Marcoses.

What all this reveals is that many people have not forgotten. They’ve tried to be civil but another Marcos gunning for president is a slap in the face and they will no longer turn the other cheek.

People often quote the verse that teaches us that “the sins of the father should not be visited upon the sons” and vice versa. That is so true, but Proverbs 26:11 also teaches us that we should not keep repeating our sins “as when a dog goes to his own vomit and becomes abominable; so is a fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin.” There is also the often repeated and quoted Bible verse in Exodus 20 that quotes God directly:

“You shall not bow yourself down to them (idols), nor serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.”

This verse is quoted many times through the Bible, which tells us that it happens and happens with regularity where the children, the grandchildren and even great grandchildren suffer public humiliation, contempt, distrust, exclusion, etc. all because of the wickedness of the original parent. In a way, the prophetic relative of Bongbong was trying to prevent the sins of the past from punishing the third generation of Marcoses and Romualdezes, many of whom have managed to live quiet lives or hold public office discreetly at local levels.

But when Bongbong Marcos once again embraced the Idol – namely Politics & Presidency – he practically opened his own Pandora’s box. Politics is an idol. It demands your time, energy, resources, demands compromise. That is why in the end, when accounts have to be settled, their children and their children’s children as well as those of their clan will pay the price of political idolatry to GOD.

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It seems that the series of articles on smuggled or under-taxed luxury sports cars has made readers more conscious of sports cars that drive past them or those parked on the streets on weekends. According to a tip, four luxury vehicles – a Lamborghini, a Maserati and two Porches – suddenly popped up inside the garage of a Greenhills resident recently. The overnight appearance of vehicles caught the attention of nosy guards and drivers who were wondering if their neighbor had just won the Lotto. So there is now the possibility that the missing Ferraris and Porsches are probably seeking sanctuary in guarded exclusive villages where the Bureau of Customs Intelligence Division can’t simply drive in or inspect.

If the BOC is hunting down 78 Ferraris and numerous other makes and models, then it is safe to assume that the so-called smuggling is now in bulk. If the units costs the importer P20 million each, the required money would be P1.560 billion before tax. Ordinary car dealers don’t have that kind of capital or cash laying around. Even established distributors need to go to banks to get a credit line that manufacturers require upfront.

The BOC and the NBI should already be setting up a Task Force with the BIR and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to look at the bigger issue of money laundering through the sale of luxury vehicles. I know that Japanese gangsters used to launder money by buying and selling cars at a loss through “dealer partners.” I’ve heard of politicians making “bakas” to finance cars for a small profit. But P1.560 billion worth of cars is a crime!

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