A parting fumble

In his last day as the presidential spokesman, Harry Roque fumbled again when he said that the arrest of the Dargani siblings – Mohit and Twinkle – could not have been possible without the help of the Executive branch.

The executives of the embattled Pharmally Pharmaceuticals were arrested by members of the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms at the Davao International Airport, while on board a chartered private jet about to take off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

How could Roque say Malacañang took part in the arrest of the Dargani siblings when they passed immigration without any problem?

The two could have been held by the immigration authorities at the Davao airport.

Mohit and Twinkle were ordered arrested by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee for hiding facts from senators who are investigating the alleged gross overpricing of face masks, face shields and personal protective equipment (PPE) sold to the government.

Their attempt to flee is a sign of guilt.

*      *      *

From where I sit, Sen. Dick Gordon’s poor showing in the latest SWS survey among senatorial candidates is weird, if not depressing.

It means that many Filipino voters are pea-brained and don’t know how to select the worthiest candidates for the Senate.

Gordon, who’s running for reelection, is out of the “Magic 12,” or candidates likely to occupy the 12 slots in the Senate slate if elections were to be held tomorrow.

Dick’s credentials as a public servant are impeccable: graduate of Bachelor of Arts at the Ateneo de Manila and Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines; the youngest delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971; the best mayor of Olongapo City, once considered a “sin city” when the Subic US Naval Base was still active; a TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee; imposed traffic and sanitation discipline at the Subic Freeport after the Americans left; a hardworking senator while concurrently running the Philippine Red Cross, which he has made world-class in terms of equipment; and a ubiquitous presence in disasters and national calamities.

Perhaps Filipino voters are turned off by his eloquence and American accent, but can you blame the guy? He studied at the Ateneo when the American Jesuits were running it.

Oh, well, voters are fickle; they will probably change their minds as the 2022 elections draw near.

*      *      *

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello has decided not to seek a Senate seat and chose to continue to serve as a Cabinet official of the outgoing Duterte administration.

Bebot, Bello’s pet name, would have been a sure winner if he decided to run.

The country has 43.6 million people in the labor force; if even half of them voted for Bebot, he would have unquestionably won.

Bebot Bello, a former justice secretary and solicitor general, is considered as one of the most-loved labor secretaries because he tends to side with labor in management disputes.

*      *      *

Controversial retired military general Antonio Parlade Jr. is running for president.

Parlade, who incurred the ire of senators when he was still in the service for calling some of them stupid, fired a salvo at Sen. Bong Go, another presidential aspirant.

“I can’t align myself with Bong Go. I’m sorry, but he is one of the problems,” the retired three-star general said.

Parlade accused Go, a long-time aide of President Digong, of controlling the decisions of the Chief Executive.

Go would not comment on Parlade’s accusation, saying, “I don’t want to deal with General Parlade because I respect him. In fact, I was one of those who recommended him to become undersecretary.”

That makes Parlade an ingrate.

He also said the following: “The Office of the President should be protected…I am running to make sure I will be able to protect the President (Rodrigo Duterte) beyond his term.”

It’s hard to make sense of his reasoning.

*      *      *

I mourn the passing of retired police general Reynaldo Berroya, who was Administrator of the Light Rail Transport Authority (LRTA).

Berroya was a member of the Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG) of the defunct Philippine Constabulary during the martial law years.

I covered the MISG first as a reporter for the defunct Times Journal, and then for the Manila Bulletin.

The MISG was an elite unit that specialized in kidnap-for-ransom cases and arresting policemen and other government employees who engaged in extortion. It was headed by the late Col. Rolando Abadilla.

When I covered the MISG for the first time in 1976, Captain Berroya headed its police intelligence branch (PIB), and his deputy chief was 1st Lt. Panfilo Lacson.

I became close to both Berroya and Lacson. Because of this, I was privy to their operations against crime.

The mere mention of the names of Abadilla, Berroya and Lacson sent chills down the spine of criminals and abusive policemen.

There was never a dull moment when I was assigned to cover the MISG.

Seldom were the days when its members returned to base empty-handed. They either killed their prey on the spot or brought them alive to their headquarters to be detained.

They didn’t take prisoners among kidnapping suspects but were lenient toward fiscals (prosecutors) and policemen caught red-handed while receiving extortion money.

The MISG logged so many kills I lost count of the kidnap, hostage-taking and robbery suspects who were shot dead during its day-to-day operations.

I felt sad when Berroya and Lacson had a falling out later; the reason was a woman who wanted them both.

There would never be another unit that would match the efficiency of the MISG in catching criminals.

*      *      *

Joke! Joke! Joke!

A man and a woman met while traveling on a train.

Woman: Your smile makes me want to invite you to my place.

Man: Ooooh! Are you single?

Woman: No, I’m a dentist.