MALACAÑANG betrayed its dread of displeasing China when, instead of protesting, it thanked Beijing for putting up an alleged Rescue Center on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) reef, a Spratlys feature claimed by Manila.

As a friend and neighbor, China should have consulted the Philippines before such a major buildup on the disputed reef. Anyway, President Duterte is disposed to allow whatever the Chinese want to do in Philippine maritime areas. But Beijing did not consult or inform Manila beforehand.

This insolent act of occupation and unilateral buildup of a feature in a Manila-claimed area is part of a pattern that Beijing has been using to gradually strengthen its hold on various disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea.

In a craven show of spinelessness, Malacañang even thanked China for putting up the alleged rescue center whose obvious use is, aside from looking after its People’s Liberation Army personnel in the vicinity, to dramatize Chinese physical presence in contested areas.

A diplomatic protest or something as tame as a request for clarification is not likely to come out of the Department of Foreign Affairs, whose chief is busy twitting about local politics and defending the administration instead of focusing on foreign relations.

Even with the Chinese buildup confirmed, Manila need not deliver a speech in an almost empty UN General Assembly hall in New York.  A simple but firm diplomatic protest will put on record the objection and displeasure of the Philippine government.

The Kagitingan buildup issue raises again the disturbing question: What hold do China President Xi Jinping and his runners in Manila have on President Duterte?

Duterte appears to be held hostage to Xi’s two-year-old promise of massive development loans and investments worth an estimated $24 billion – but whose delivery is being delayed to keep Duterte on a leash.

Even to plain folk, as followup to the Kagitingan issue, the resolve of the Duterte administration to assert Philippine self-respect and sovereignty can be tested by reversing roles.

It may look childish, but let Duterte and his favorite senatorial bet Bong Go build an equivalent “Malasakit Center” on Panatag (Scarborough) shoal off Zambales, which is a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos but taken over by China. Can the President muster the courage to do that?

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who was with the Philippine panel that won the 2016 arbitration case against Chinese expansion in the WPS, warned that Beijing was asserting sovereignty in building the rescue center in disregard of Philippine rights over Kagitingan.

Carpio said: “We should contest that because that’s under Philippine territory. And if a foreign country will say ‘we will use this as a rescue center’ – which they should not do without our approval because that’s ours – we should protest, otherwise we’ll be waiving our sovereign rights.”

Prof. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, then said China’s move legitimizes the establishment of its military bases in the area.

“China is trying to mask its militarization of the area by highlighting possible civilian benefits/public goods provided by their artificial islands,” Batongbacal told CNN Philippines.

• What’s status of China’s $24-B pledge?

HAVING mastered the psychology of the former Davao City mayor, China President Xi Jinping knew more or less how to handle President Duterte when he came on a state visit in October 2016.

Among the items Xi prepared for the visitor was a lauriat of extravagant promises that included $9 billion in soft loans, a $3-billion credit line with the Bank of China, and $15 billion in foreign investments. Before the guests left, 27 memorandums of agreement were signed for projects in railways, ports, energy and mining worth $11.2 billion.

A recent status report in media have it, however, that most of the promised loans and investments are still promises, except for a priority railway project in Duterte’s base of Mindanao and an irrigation system in Bulacan.

Two years ago, we said in Postscript after that visit: “After attacking the United States to the delight of his hosts in Beijing and probing what China could offer the Philippines, President Duterte wrapped up his four-day state visit carrying home promises of investments ($15 billion) and soft loans ($9 billion).

“But Duterte failed to convince China to allow Filipinos back to their traditional fishing grounds at the Panatag (Scarborough) shoal off Zambales. He got instead another promise from Beijing to talk later about fisheries and such issues over disputed areas of the South China Sea.

“The question of who lost in the bargain is likely to haunt the aspiring power player from Davao now dreaming of forming a China-Russia-Philippines axis against ‘the rest of the world.’

“We were aghast, embarrassed even, that our President bad-mouthed its ally of long standing, the United States, while he was visiting China in search of goodwill and goodies. He did not have to announce his ‘separating’ from the US to please his hosts.

“The 2,330-word joint statement of Duterte and China President Xi Jinping avoided mentioning the arbitration ruling last July 12 in The Hague that struck down as illegal China’s extensive claim over much of the SCS, including several maritime areas of the Philippines.

“China has built what appear to be military facilities on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Kennan (Chigua), Mabini (Johnson South), Burgos (Gaven) and Calderon (Cuarteron) reefs, areas being claimed by the Philippines.”

The Senate and the House of Representatives are on the clock facing an extremely tight deadline to resolve their differences over the proposed P3.7 trillion national budget. With the clock ticking until they go into recess for the election period it seems almost impossible for them to come to an agreement. I think that they should focus on getting it together and go through the amendments and insertions systematically finding the best happy medium for everyone.

Of course that is easier said than done and with so many politicians with their hands in the proverbial honey jar it’s no wonder they can’t lock down a proposed budget for the president’s approval. It’s sad that not much has changed despite the current administration’s promise to “clean house”. With pork barrel now even higher than years passed it seems that not only have things not changed they have only gotten worse.

Honestly, most of the time it seems that our politicians are more focused on protecting their revenue streams and protecting themselves than they are on making the changes necessary to benefit the country. If they fought tooth and nail for the people the way they did for their budget allocations imagine how much better off the Philippines would be?

What a pipe dream. Promises are great but results would be much better. President Duterte was elected on the premise of his honest and aggressive political platform. He said he was going to rid the country of the notorious drug problem (hasn’t happened), that he was going to rid the government of political dynasties and corruption (also hasn’t happened), and that he was going to invest in the country by building necessary infrastructure and investing in an aggressive “Build, Build, Build” agenda. Sadly that doesn’t look like it has happened (or is about to happen) either.

My daughter recently went back to Japan to celebrate her birthday and she can’t stop talking about how efficient they are there and how things just work so easily and seamlessly. She laments that we can’t have the same good things in the Philippines. Understandably in order for us to enjoy the same efficiency the Japanese do we need to be far more disciplined as a people but it has to start somewhere and improved infrastructure is as good a place as any for that first step.

Here’s hoping that the delayed projects will finally get clearance and take off. It isn’t for lack of investors or proposed partners. They are there, the government just needs to remove the maze of red tape and get things moving. After all this time we still have nothing to show for the new administration and it’s quite sad. Promises were made that lives were going to improve in the Philippines and so far all that seems to have happened is that prices have skyrocketed. No one’s life has improved yet.

I honestly believe that the government should place emphasis on addressing our public transportation. If there is any infrastructure project that needs to be fixed it’s that. Traffic has been getting worse and worse and the answer is not to limit cars or count garages it’s giving people better transportation options. I honestly believe that no one actually wants to drive in Manila with the traffic and lack of parking. They just do it because they don’t have any other choice.

If our railways and subways were anything like the ones abroad I think we would definitely be lessening the cars on the streets. In places like Japan and Singapore and even Hong Kong, public transportation is the every day way of life for so many. People take the buses and trains to work day in and day out and they can rely on them. This helps lessen the cars and traffic on the roads and the consumption of gas at the same time. It’s win/win for everyone.

This is what we need to invest in in the Philippines. Changes to our public transportation (ease, cost, efficiency, etc) could really make positive changes in our economy and for our people. Hopefully the government – as they close the book on their upcoming budget – takes this into consideration and take the steps needed to make it happen.

* * *

I hope the president signs the bills seeking to increase maternity leave. Other countries have recognized that a new mother needs more time with her newborn child and should be given the rights and protection to do so under the law. The new bill provides for 105 days of paid maternity leave to all working new mothers in the government and private sectors, regardless of marital status – this is important because single moms need that leave more than ever.

And the most important part of the bill is that this shall be granted to all female workers in every instance of pregnancy, miscarriage, or emergency termination of pregnancy. In cases of miscarriage or emergency termination – expectant mothers will get 60 days of paid leave benefits.

This is an important piece of legislation for all women and should be passed into law. Perhaps there are things outside of the president’s hands when it comes to making big changes for infrastructure or international relations, but if he wants to find ways to help Filipinos there are so many bills like this that can already help change lives for the better.

MY article last January 23 delved into the US conspiracy claims precipitated by an op-ed piece in the prestigious Washington Post. Insinuations about US President Donald Trump’s being a Russian spy are made more believable by his comportment during these past two years as president. His bending over to accommodate Russia, the former Soviet Union, and his kowtowing to the Russian strongman, Vladimir Putin, has been perceived not only by the Americans but NATO allies as an overly pernicious massaging of a perverted personal relationship. It gives a certain amount of credence to the suspicion of Putin’s stranglehold over Trump. And it did not help that the two have conducted several personal talks with only their interpreters in attendance, with no aides present. To top it all, Trump embargoed his interpreter’s notes. This conduct where a summit meeting is held between leaders of competing countries is unprecedented, leading to suspicions of surreptitious agreements inimical to American and democratic interests.

This aberrant bond goes back to long before the elections where Trump lost the plurality votes. Were it not for the byzantine electoral college, Hillary Clinton could have been the first American woman president. This complexity allowed Russia’s meddling into the 2016 electoral process, placing Trump’s legitimacy in question, prompting the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s comprehensive investigation into the Donald’s campaign group’s collusion with Russia. Close to two dozen of Trump’s campaign advisers, colleagues and operators have been indicted and awaiting sentencing by US courts. Campaign manager Paul Manafort has been found guilty of subsidiary crimes. And Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen has been “spilling the beans,” so to speak, to Mueller. Cohen too, pleaded guilty to ancillary charges and has been meted jail time.

And an FBI investigation on the allegations of the Donald being a Russian spy is ongoing, separately from the Mueller investigation. The noose is tightening around Trump’s neck as Mueller and the FBI are closing in on their prey (“A Russian Spy in the White House?” The Manila Times, Jan. 23, 2018). The Donald is perceived to be in panic mood as his defense is crumbling in the face of the “fact checking” being conducted by the liberal American media. His lies are being proven to be just that — lies!

Predictably, Trump’s strategy to face a political crisis head-on is to create another one. This is probably the cause anterieure immediate for the US government shutdown that has gone on for more than a month and has impacted not only 800,000 unpaid US federal employees but the US economy itself. The repercussions have gone far and wide and has negatively affected US tourism. My family had a firsthand experience when my grandkids went to Yosemite in California for the holidays. Some parts of the park were closed. The few park employees I talked to were either paid by privately managed resorts, or as in the case of the federal park rangers were technically on furlough and were simply unpaid volunteers. On our way back to Manila, US airports were inadequately manned by immigration officers. After more than a month of this shutdown, the air traffic control employees responsible for guiding planes to take off and land at US airports could be adversely affected and travel safety jeopardized.

But conspiracy theories are not exclusive to Washington. Closer to home is one involving the Deegong, Malacañang and Congress. In the best tradition of Filipino “tsismis cum conspiracy,” rumors are rife and currently circulating in social media, no doubt exacerbated by the election circus.

The dramatis personae are those on the top echelon of the country’s political leadership. The plot centers around the Deegong with Congress, the cabinet and the military playing all sorts of supporting and adversarial roles. The storyline starts with the pronouncements lately of DU30’s frustration with the pervasive corruption not only in the bureaucracy but even among his small coterie. His attendant acts of firing people on a “whiff of corruption” without undergoing serious investigation or following the protocols of fairness and justice, is eating into his political innards, wasting his political capital. His rants against the hierarchy of the Catholic Church that initially found some adherents for their boldness and warped charm, have begun to run their course and are now simply prosaic. And his declaration that “I am not Catholic, I am Islam” has left many of his admirers even more befuddled.

This preoccupation and frustration with mundane and irrelevant matters are impacting negatively on his ability to govern; creating a dangerous vacuum in the running of the ship of state, further fueling a general perception that the Deegong is tired of it all. Perhaps he is. The public allusions to his failing health and his proclivity to repair to the confines of the comfortable and the familiar in Davao – could be misconstrued as a forfeiture of his presidential duties.

It does not help too that his alter egos in the bureaucracy have been reluctant to take the cudgels for him or, not surprisingly, his alpha-male trait may have intimidated them into acting logically as they should.

Thus are emboldened the political opportunists hovering over the presidency. Foremost among which is the House of Representatives where a battle for control over the country’s development is being fought, using the budget as the weapon of choice. The ultimate political survivor who now heads the HOR has her loyalists fighting a surrogate battle for the country’s agenda. They want Budget Secretary Diokno out. They may yet have their wish.

But the conspiracy theory doesn’t end here. The conjecture is that the chief sentinel of the economy and protector of its financial lifeblood must go. A traditional political component needs to be injected into this post and logically lodged on the speaker who is now on her last term.

Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, the professional and independently wealthy technocrat, is much more needed by PRRD as his Chief of Staff — the primus inter pares — to impose a certain sense of managerial discipline to the Office of the President (“The Gatekeepers Parts 1 & 2,” The Manila Times, Sept. 28 & Oct 5, 2017). And what to do with the ES? Appoint him to the Supreme Court where his father had served honorably.

And if one follows several articles I wrote about Gloria, (Game of Thrones, The Manila Times, March 15, 2018 and “Gloria en excelsis,” March 22, 2018) the “kuro-kuro” was for the constitutional revisions to happen and a transition to a parliamentary form of government before the mid-term elections. Now it’s too late. The Senate thwarted this plan and thus the presidential government under the unitary system continues: no constitutional changes, no parliamentary government and above all no prime minister — and the hell with federalism! Guess who was gunning for the prime minister post?

Thus, the importance of the finance and the budget portfolios. The other cabinet departments and agencies are presumably now being put under the effective control of GMA’s group — still totally loyal to DU30 — a paradox. The conspiracy continues…

PRIOR to the internet, Kindle books, social media, Facebook, we read real books. Books we can hold in our hands with real pages one thumbs through; books that are either sold in bookstores, like National Bookstore and Alemar’s (in Metro Manila) or borrowed from libraries. With the advent of new technologies, books can still be read but mostly downloadable; worse, we just google the plot, read the synopsis and voila! — we have the patina of an intellectual and impress women with our “wide reading fare.” Unless the women one intends to impress also do the same — google the plots. In my day (which my son Carlo refers to as “during the dark ages”), to cheat, we read the comic book version of the classics; which means, we may not read the original tomes — Quo Vadis, Two Years Before the Mast, Moby Dick etc. — or if adapted on screen, we simply watch the movie.

But the books that I particularly like are seldom adapted into movies, unless they are international bestsellers. In which case, I read both the book and watch its movie version. Which brings me to my regular fare during the dark ages (1960s-1990s) – prior to the internet, which burst into the scene in its primitive version in the mid-1980s, but really came into its own and people’s consciousness only in the 1990s or thereabouts, upon the inception of the World Wide Web.

I love spy stories (I also love Henry Miller’s novels, particularly the classic Tropic of Cancer and similar ones of that genre). In college and shortly after in the mid-1960s I discovered certain authors that wrote copious books on espionage and political fiction. I was born and live through the Cold War, 1947 to 1991— the post-World War 2 decades of geopolitical non-bloody confrontation between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), now Russia, and the United States and its Western allies, chiefly Britain, France, West Germany and Italy, among others. The Philippines, as a former colony of America, was positioned smack into the Western alliance.

The Cold War era was reflected in the fictional literature of the times and produced my favorite contemporary authors with books I devoured. John le Carré, Ian Fleming, Richard Condon, Jason Matthews, Frederick Forsyth and Tom Clancy, among others. Many of these books became bestsellers and the Hollywood money machine turned some of them into iconic symbols of the period. Ian Fleming’s James Bond series has produced two dozen blockbusters, not so much due to the inane plots but for the fascinating gadgets, action and gore and more importantly, for some of my septuagenarian classmates (the author excepted), the “eye candy” exposition of Bond’s women in various stages of undress, arousing some primal memories of past engagements.

I prefer, of course, the political undertones of the novels of John le Carré that depicts the betrayal by a real British double agent, Kim Philby, who was recruited as a student in Cambridge, England, by the KGB, the Russian secret service. The book published in 1974, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was brought to the screen in 2011. This was followed by The Honourable Schoolboy (1977), and Smiley’s People (1979) with the same recurring theme; the co-opted British intelligence agents engaging in psycho-warfare with Soviet spies, exposing the weaknesses of both the democratic and totalitarian systems. The reader is invited to think deeper on the plot’s nuances, but the film version contrasts with James Bond, bereft of gadgets, violence and skin. Le Carré’s are the intelligent spy stories.

On another level is Jason Matthews, The Kremlin’s Candidate. This more contemporary novel depicts Dominika Egorova, a double agent for the US CIA planted in the Kremlin and gaining the trust of President Vladimir Putin who with his KGB concocted a plan to assassinate the CIA Director and substitute him with Putin’s mole in the CIA.

But the spy novel that hews closely to contemporary US politics is Richard Condon’s The Manchurian Candidate. The original movie adaptation was in 1962, starring Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh. The Manchurian candidate was an American soldier captured and imprisoned during the Korean war. As the prisoner of war, Raymond Shaw (played by Harvey) was subsequently brainwashed by the North Koreans and repatriated to the US as a war hero. “After his discharge back into civilian life, he becomes an unwitting assassin involved in an International communist conspiracy. Officials from China and the Soviet Union employ Shaw as a sleeper agent in an attempt to subvert and take over the United States government.”

But the fascinating plot involves a deeply implanted psychological triggering mechanism that upon seeing the Queen of Diamonds card, Shaw is primed to kill the US presidential candidate, substituting him with the popular vice president who was Shaw’s stepfather, and who would, upon election, declare martial law.

This fascinating plot about the co-optation of an American hero by the Soviets could be adapted to the present political drama now unfolding in the United States. Real life follows fiction. We can twist the plot that hews close to scenarios now being peddled by the American liberal-leaning media.

President Donald Trump, as presented by these credible leading US news organizations, is the central figure. Inuendoes abound about his long secret relationship with Russia and Putin’s role in his election. Putin was once the head of the KGB and certainly an expert in the arcana of international espionage. The KGB “honeypot trap” is famous for ensnaring sexually prodigious unsuspecting victims that could be blackmailed. Innuendoes and reports on Trump having been a subject of this plot have been circulating among the US media cognoscenti on the existence of the “pee-pee tapes.” This and Trump’s sorry actuations in the Helsinki summit with Putin are being interpreted as the US President’s scornful role as a defense attorney for Russia — and worse the groveling marionette of Putin.

Fiction and reality could merge when Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller comes up with his report on the two-year-long investigation into Russia’s suspected collusion with the Trump campaign to pervert the US election process. And now, the Washington Post has published an op-ed that says Trump had been investigated by the FBI since 2017 as possibly an agent of Putin. The inference being that the capitalist Trump with several bankruptcies to his name has been saved and nurtured by Putin over the years making him vulnerable to Putin’s machinations. His constant declaration of “no collusion, no collusion” smacks of a forced and fake denial, insinuating the reverse. Putin could have sized him up years back and saw his vulnerability and worked on him as the “useful idiot” or an unwitting participant — or a combination of both.

In the next few weeks, we could see the unraveling of a conspiracy that could beat the best of John le Carré spy novels, Jason Matthews, The Kremlin’s Candidate and Richard Condon’s The Manchurian Candidate all rolled into one: the Donald, the US President — the Russian spy in the White House.

AS of this writing, we have been home in Davao for almost two weeks now and taking a vacation from a vacation. Flying coach on PAL is stressful enough, but with three grandchildren (3 to 7 years) in tow, it is almost unbearable except for the expertise of the parents who are themselves globetrotters. For one, Matt had the foresight to download to two IPads and two cellphones 12 hours’ worth of the kids’ favorite cartoons, games and movies. And with Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) on-seat chargers, batteries never run out. Max was surfing the inter-flight movie channels for his favorite “Star Wars” episodes. Lara had all the back-up toys, the teddy bears (named “Loveys”), bottles of milk, assorted snacks and diapers in color-coded satchels, bags and small luggage; all reachable at arm’s length.

In a four-seat configuration, two kids are seated anchored by nanny Belen beside the youngest on one end and the other by Matt with Sylvie. On the next row are Lara and Momsie putting Max in between them. And “Lolo” book-ending the row ,hoping all along that PAL would upgrade my Premier-Elite status to business class for at least having sired the next generation of Capitan Lucio Tan’s next generation of PAL travelers. Fat chance! This septuagenarian had to suffer the 11 ½ hours flight Manila (MNL)-San Francisco (SFO) and 14 ½ hours SFO to MNL in the sardine-like confines of a plane seat which has diminished in size (or has my bulk grown?).

The SFO immigration area was a breeze, particularly for the eight of us allowed to go through the US passport-holders line, as my grandkids and their parents are US citizens. Lolo, “Lola” and the nanny who are Pinoy just had extra questions to answer from a Korean-American officer, like: “…what is the purpose of your visit,” among others. This stern line of questioning possesses an undertone, not blatant, of course, of a slight suspicion of Lolo, Lola and nanny looking for temporary jobs, hinting on the possibility of being “TNT” (Tago nang Tago) in America. To that question, I was tempted to reply “…to spend my money to help the American economy.” I didn’t come through with that tongue-in-cheek response as my grandson Max was fidgeting to run to the nearest restroom. And, for all we know, this federal immigration employee may be one of Trump’s shutdown victims and was a brave volunteer — without pay.

Overall, our holiday was fantastic. First, my fears were unfounded. And my grandson Max could be right after all that the clash of the Pacific and North Atlantic tectonic plates along the San Andreas fault will not occur for the next 10,000 years or so. But we had our own little tectonic shifts when three tykes ages 6 ½, 4 ½ and 3 are packed into a Chevy Suburban with the two younger ones allowed their impedimenta keeping them occupied for any land trip; to the museums, toy stores or to the skiing areas, and even to Ghirardelli for hot cocoa and mini-golf, the Golden Gate Bridge for sightseeing or the grocery at Target stores; with a ‘devil-may-care’ of a driver of a son-in-law, Matt, who almost gave Momsie a heart attack. Frankly, he did well to chauffeur us safely all throughout — except I prefer my daughter Lara to handle the wheels from time to time.

Driving along American roads, either interstate highways or local roads and even mountain roads, is safe. This is because the roads are basically well-structured, superbly engineered, highly maintained, well-lighted with clear signs and directions. More importantly, traffic rules, regulations and the laws are applied strictly, evenly and fairly. Therefore, drivers are disciplined to drive safely. There are exceptions that could produce tragic results – drunk driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), overtaking, crossing solid painted lines, going through red lights and ignoring protocols on four-way STOP signs. I have been driving in American roads for decades and I drive safely and well with an American driver’s license – and no accidents.

But in Manila, for years I no longer drive. It is one of the most chaotic road systems in major cities with population of 10 million. With PRRD’s ‘build-build-build’ program, he needs to redo our road and traffic systems, especially in the megacities; more public transport, phaseout of jeepneys and ancient vehicles, more skyways, more feeder roads but more importantly, the forced education of drivers and the enforcement of the rule of law.

This program of the Deegong will effectively open resort areas, encourage visits to provinces and develop internal tourism and perhaps declog cities and eliminate environmental blight. DU30 with his proven political will to do things right has four years to do this. This is in fact more revolutionary than a revgov — at least to start with.

Our flight back, PR 115, was not entirely uneventful as the US immigration inspection areas were manned with a skeletal force — thanks to the shutdown. But the lone incident that got my goat happened at the NAIA airport upon arrival. With eight in our party (and three grandkids), we had 16 pieces of luggage, including car seats between us, inclusive of four balikbayan boxes of assorted pasalubong and clothing. Each of us had to hand-carry on board priority bags for the kids to survive the trip. This was where my fiasco with PAL began. On the ground past NAIA immigration, I remember leaving my black leather jacket at the overhead luggage compartment on row 65F. The ground PAL personnel were informed. As Sylvia and I were to board PR 2813 for Davao within two hours (without the kids) we were asked to proceed to the domestic part of Terminal 2. The PAL personnel were courteous and mindful of my complaint about by jacket informing them of my wallet of credit cards in the left inner pocket and a money-clip with $200 on the right pocket. At the domestic PAL lounge, two gentlemen from PAL security returned my black leather jacket, with my wallet of credit cards minus the $200 cash. My wife was more than happy to have my more expensive jacket returned. But I thought I should complain about the lost cash; which was also the advice of my classmate Sammy’s wife, Rose Lutz – a retired ground PAL supervisor. Thus, my letter to PAL president Jimmy Bautista today.

Overall, this incident did not mar my vacation with my grandchildren – courtesy of my son-in-law Matt and daughter Lara. But after this two-week interlude, I long to be back with my septuagenarian classmates who have been planning to go on breaks like this. Such type of trips is heavy on the pocketbook. On the other hand, septuagenarians have more compelling reasons; to go on the move as a herd as we take comfort in our dwindling numbers, our days are short and the possibility that many will not last the years we allot for ourselves; or illness will overtake our tired bodies leaving only the indomitable souls. But souls don’t travel well as a pack. So, here’s to the AdeDU class 1960’s romp to Coron, Palawan on February 14 — the day for lovers.

I NEVER did leave my heart in San Francisco. In fact, I never did leave my heart anywhere in America. But San Francisco was the first American city that I visited in the spring of 1980. I was privileged to have been an awardee of the Group Study Exchange Program (GSE) of the Rotary International and spent several weeks in the 4-State Rotary District 6110 of Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Since my first trip to America 39 years ago, I have been in and out of the country countless times. Although in terms of endearment, Cambridge and Boston are where I accumulated my baggage of nostalgia, having spent my sabbatical year for studies there. New York City should come next as my daughter and my grandchildren resided there.

But San Francisco has always filled me with dread as the San Andreas fault hangs as a Damocles sword over the place. It has triggered several earthquakes over the past century — from the 7.9 magnitude in 1857 that claimed one fatality, to the 1906, 1989 and 2004 quakes that destroyed great swathes of the city by fire and infrastructure collapse, reducing them to rubble, with thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage.

I am a moviegoer and the flick “San Andreas,” although a fictional depiction of the end of times for California, could be what scientists have been predicting all along; the splitting of the state from the mainland along the San Andreas Fault, the boundary between the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates. And there are perhaps a million kababayan residents, not to count my relatives living the American dream. That’s why I feel a certain trepidation every time I visit San Francisco or Los Angeles.

We are now in Yosemite, at least farther away from this part of the earth’s lithosphere; as if that were really a consolation if ever the “big one” comes. My seven-year-old grandson, Max, assured me that this catastrophe is at least 10,000 years in the future.

My grandkids miss the snow since they relocated to Manila and the closest to a snowman they can construct is the artificial snow at SM Megamall. Also, skiing is part of their DNA having been sired by an American father from St. Cloud, Minnesota, where snow cover during winter is abundant.

The park itself is generally open for tourists and visitors despite the President Trump-induced shutdown, which is now on its third week. With a reported close to 800,000 unfunded federal employees, certain sites are closed. Packed like sardines in a Chevy Suburban, we breezed through unstaffed but open entrance stations. The park service-provided information and orientation are somewhat available as there are a few and unpaid volunteers bravely manning the park, in effect keeping some visitor centers open, although the Yosemite museum was closed. Some campgrounds and hiking trails remain open and free public shuttle service around the valley is available. Thank God my son-in-law got a VRBO cabin at Redwood Parks on Wawona, about an hour from the Badger Pass ski area where a fresh powder of snow allows skiing lifts and runs open despite the shutdown.

And we did ski with the three kids, coached by Matt and Lara, down the “turtle run,” the slope reserved for beginners ages 3 to the teens. As a skiing tyro for 30 years, I still must brave the “green and black” runs, earmarked for accomplished skiers, which I did not attempt this time. But I have bragging rights as “master of the kiddie slopes.”

The National Park Service (NPS) that is responsible for managing all national parks is an agency under the US Department of the Interior. It is mandated “…to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. Yosemite National Park covers an area of 747,956 acres and designated a World Heritage site; and famous for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, glaciers and biological diversity. Ninety-five percent of the park is designated wilderness.” (Wikipedia)

I can’t help comparing our national parks in the Philippines. The Mount Apo Natural Park (MANP) for one, was established as a protected area and acknowledged as an Asean Heritage Site, with an area of 54,974.87 hectares. Upon its designation as a protected area, 30 percent of the land area, or approximately 14,900 has., had forest cover. However, negligent government policy allowed conversion of the areas into agricultural use and for human settlements, degrading the forest and wildlife habitat. Illegal tree cutting has been prevalent and charcoal making for household use resulted in forest cover loss of 1,400 has. yearly.

Popular as a mountain climbing and trekking site, being the highest mountain in the country, hundreds visit the park yearly and a few climb the summit. But policing of the area is minimal. Toilet facilities and half-way cottages are practically absent, with climbers and tourists littering the trails with garbage and human waste. These could be the reasons why the park was taken out of the Unesco list of heritage sites.

What President Duterte did in Boracay could be a template in saving national parks and resort areas for Filipino and foreign tourists, but more importantly, for the enjoyment of the present generation and future ones. The internationally famous beach resort had deteriorated since the early 1970s-1980s prompting the Deegong to declare the whole resort as a cesspool, an environmental blight. He used the full powers of government to close the resort to tourists for half a year and clean the area, putting in a sewage system connecting 200 hotels and establishments to the sewerage lines instead of these effluents being discharged directly to the sea. He has forcibly dismantled structures that illegally encroached upon the shoreline, and has directed the widening of the streets to ease traffic. More importantly, he has closed businesses that are non-compliant with Philippine laws and local ordinances. There are still flaws in the management of the area which are under several government departments that include tourism, environment and natural resources and local government. But things are beginning to improve, restoring the resort to world class status.

But the local population is supportive of PRRD and the success of the rehabilitation of Boracay could be the impetus for similar initiatives for other resorts and national parks and could even extend to the cleaning of esteros and slum area development in the inner cities. Palawan resorts outside of El Nido and Amanpulo may be targeted next. These drastic measures have never been attempted before by any of our political leaders since the birth of the Republic, except for this oft-vilified President Duterte. Love him or hate him, this is what political will is all about. And this is what the country needs.

Panfilo Lacson was not really held in great esteem when he burst into public consciousness as top policeman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC), a crime fighting bureaucracy under Vice-President “Erap” Estrada during the administration of President Fidel Ramos. Lacson was perceived to be a no-nonsense policeman who, like his sponsor, might consider the nuances of the application of the law as mere inconvenience.

In 1995, the PACC was linked to the killing of 11 members of the Kuratong Baleleng organized crime syndicate who were into kidnapping for ransom, robbery and illegal drugs, among others. Lacson and his men were alleged to have engaged them in a shootout, but witnesses and evidence showed that the whole scenario was staged. It was labeled by the press as a cold-blooded massacre. Nonetheless, the notoriety of the gang and its vicious methods pitted the group against public opinion. Human rights advocates were in uproar, while many law-abiding ordinary citizens distressed with rising crime were tolerant with the PACC’s methods. The criminal case against Lacson and his men were eventually dismissed.

Upon his assumption of office as President, Erap organized the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), headed by Lacson, who was then Police director general. During the short reign of Erap, corruption was endemic and an influential publicist and political operator, Salvador “Bobby” Dacer, was in the forefront, allegedly helping destabilize his regime.

In November 2000, Dacer and his driver were abducted, and their corpses burned. Senior officers of PAOCTF and Lacson were implicated in this ghastly crime. The case dragged on for years, but before Lacson could be charged in court, he fled the country and became a fugitive for months. He returned when the case against him was dismissed, finishing his first full term as senator of the land.

Lacson’s comportment was not surprising because of his image then as an acolyte given hands-on tutorials by the infamous Col. Rolando Abadilla, who was perceived to be the executioner and master torturer of the Marcos regime when he headed the notorious METROCOM Intelligence and Security Group (MISG).

During the Erap years (as VP and later, President) Lacson cultivated his image as a scourge of criminals, a curse to the incompetent and crooked cops under him, and he nurtured a reputation as an incorruptible law enforcer. He was known to refuse emoluments from grateful families of KFR victims, parlaying these deeds to a seat in the Philippine Senate.

It was as a senator when he perfected his anti-corruption persona as he refused to avail of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the “pork barrel” funds, which were sources of corruption for congressmen and senators. He unsuccessfully called for its abolition but in his first six-year senatorial term he had his PDAF reverted to the National Treasury, only the second senator to have done so.

Many began to reassess this maverick who has been shedding the façade of a violator of human rights and who assumed a different role as a fighter of corruption in the highest echelon of government – the two houses of Congress. From one who went on the lam for 15 months to skip an arrest warrant and murder charges, he morphed into one who crusaded against wholesale corruption. He placed third on his second term election bid for the Senate in 2016.

It will be recalled that in 2013, the Supreme Court declared PDAF unconstitutional after the expose of a massive scam by Janet Lim Napoles and the involvement of members of the two houses of Congress. Three senators were incarcerated for plunder as a result.

Today, it’s all overturned. The three senators, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla have been exonerated and are now running for their old seats at the Senate. And worse, their main source of corruption, the “pork barrel system,” is back in the 2019 budget. And the pork barrel insertions are again being replayed at the start of every budget hearing, although these are being denied by the House Leadership.

“This political striptease on pork – by those exposing its hidden fat and by those defending its value – is as old as the tired debate on political dynasties.… One lawmaker would leak all the hidden insertions, others would condemn the practice, and the beneficiaries would sing praises to it: pork builds bridges; pork paves farm-to-market roads; pork constructs recreational facilities for the poor; and pork brings hospitals nearer to them. It is the grease that makes basic services happen.

(“Rappler” Glenda Gloria, Dec. 11, 2018)

And all of them have their pounds of flesh as percentages cut from the fat they can pocket out of these services, I might add.

Enter Senator Lacson, the only senator now in the realm that has the decency to champion, this time, the people’s and presumably, the Deegong’s fight against corruption.

Among the bill of particulars are the allocation of P60 million for each member of Congress, with some favorites such as Congressmen Rolly Andaya and Carlo Nograles allocated billions more. The House Speaker, former President GMA and a freed plunderer herself, is back in her old ways with fund insertions amounting to billions – although again denied by her.

Lacson fully knows well the evil representing these anomalous pork insertions and has vowed to kill them in the Senate budget deliberations.

He will fail! A single senator against a community of “honorable gentlemen and ladies” salivating for their share is just too much for a maverick unless the people led by the “anti-corruption President” moves with alacrity. But will he?

Thus, the ongoing reinvention of Lacson as the senator who will storm the ramparts of his own house, the Senate, plays perfectly into the political theater. While DU30 has been perceived as the President with the political will to fight corruption in the bureaucracy, he has been perceived also to be overwhelmed and his initiatives sputtering. And the bigger fight on corruption has shifted to both houses of the legislative body where the majority is the Deegong’s allies. But by necessity one of their own must perform surgery against the perceived anomalous budget. This role is perfect for Lacson, and he is gaining traction.

Duterte’s supporters, particularly the avid DDS who have been contemplating the post-DU30 scenario on who will continue his “pagbabago agenda,” have been building up the feisty daughter Sara to assume his mantle after he leaves the scene.

But in the scheme of things — with the constant complaints of the President that he is tired, his failure to deliver on his campaign promises (federalism, the peace process), and overall governance ennui — he has created a dangerous perception of a vacuum in governance. That could be dangerously filled by the denizens of the political past, the GMA cohorts now populating not only the halls of Congress but even the key real estate in the Cabinet and major bureaucracies.

And in all these convoluted scenarios, a PRRD clone in the ascendant awaits on the sidelines: Panfilo Lacson.

NOV. 30, 2018 saw the passing of George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. The last of the US presidents to see combat in World War 2, Bush was a navy pilot who was shot down in the Pacific but was rescued and survived. He was an authentic American Hero of a generation that produced thousands of heroes.

President Bush was the US President I am most acquainted with as his trajectory from being Ronald Reagan’s vice president to president coincided with my schooling at Harvard from 1988 to 1989. The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) was one of the centers of academic discourse on political economy and many of our professors were engaged as part-time consultants to both Democratic and Republican candidates. Thus, campus partisan debates were heated but lively and we, foreign students, were privileged to be assigned “case analyses” involving election campaign strategies. I had a front row seat in the 1988 presidential campaign and a glimpse of the US democratic system through the lens of both theoretical and pragmatic politics.

Both houses of the US Congress then were controlled by the Democratic Party. It is to his genius that Republican President Bush, shaped bipartisan support for his foreign policy-driven administration. His “regime change” military operations in Panama booted out the dictator Noriega installing a US-friendly democratic government. It was considered then as heavy-handed. But his crowning glory was perhaps “Operation Desert Storm.” He hammered a coalition force of three dozen countries of the United Nations and defeated the Iraqi army of Saddam Hussein that invaded and annexed Kuwait.

After just one four-year term of George H.W. from 1989 to 1993, four presidents followed; Bill Clinton, 1993 to 2001; George W. Bush, 2001 to 2009; Barack Obama, 2009-2017; and Donald Trump, 2017.

Coinciding roughly with these periods, we’ve also had four Philippine presidents; “Erap” Estrada, 1998 to 2001; Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 2001 to 2010; Benigno “PNoy”Aquino, 2010 to 2016; and Rodrigo Duterte, 2016.

I can’t help contrasting the administrations of American presidents with those of our own during each parallel incumbency. Clinton was impeached by the US Congress on his sexual dalliances with a White House intern but acquitted by the Senate and went on to spark a US economic growth that produced budget surpluses. Despite his impeachment, he left office with the highest approval rating of any post-war president and is now ranked among the great American presidents.

Erap, a populist president started a career in movies and his exploits onscreen propelled him to various elective offices. His base “the masa” never could quite differentiate between his fictitious and real roles. As a superb thespian, he projected the image of a man of the masses concealing his incompetence and camouflaging his corrupt administration. He was impeached but his Senate trial was aborted as a “people power” uprising ensued, causing him to abandon the presidency. He was later convicted for plunder but got a presidential pardon from his successor, president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He is now the mayor of the city of Manila.

The daughter of a Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an economist, was touted as the most prepared for the highest office. But her administration was marred by electoral fraud and corruption, which eclipsed her achievements. Her watch was weighed down by accusations of her husband’s alleged meddling; their conjugal partnership was labeled as second only to the Marcoses. She spent years after her term incarcerated not in a prison cell but in a hospital bed. She was acquitted of plunder charges and has staged a comeback as a congressman and is now the Speaker of the House.

Her US counterpart was George “Dubya” Bush. The September 11 Twin Towers terrorist attack in New York City and his response defined his presidency. His “war on terror” and the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaida terror architect, drove him to wage war in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The American forces were bogged down in a war in the Persian Gulf whose reverberations are felt to this day. It is now the longest American war. His administration ended with the US housing market crash precipitating the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009 that infected the world economy and nearly caused a total US economic collapse, were it not for the financial stimulus applied by his successor president Obama, which was echoed by major massive stimuli from Europe and China.

Barack Obama, 44th US President and the first Afro-American to hold that office, engineered the US economic recovery, tapered down US troops presence in the Persian Gulf, and carried out the killing of Osama bin Laden. The last had unintended consequences, giving birth to the IS, a much deadlier international terrorist group.

The Philippine counterpart was another son of a president, Benigno Aquino 3rd who, in his six-year incumbency, caused the dismantling of his mother’s already flawed people power legacy. He was just an entitled scion of a political clan totally unprepared for the rigors and discipline of the presidency. His administration was marked by retribution, bribing a subservient Congress to evict a chief justice of the Supreme Court. He likewise allowed subalterns to conjure faulty and corrupt financial instruments for rent-seeking endeavors. He may yet go to prison.

Generally, US presidents were not smeared with personal corruption. Clinton, Bush and Obama left office with heads held high. Not with their Philippine counterparts — Erap, Gloria and PNoy.

Which brings us to the current presidents, Trump and Duterte. The jury is still out on these two. The Donald has a flawed personality that the US press, whom he accuses of being the “enemy of the people and purveyors of fake news,” has fact-checked a compendium of lies from his social media tweets and public pronouncements. His former defense secretary described him as one “who does not read and suggests policy actions that could be illegal,” inferring that this American president is not qualified to lead the great American people.

The Deegong has been unfairly compared to the Donald. His colorful language sometimes bordering on obscenity tends to shock people either to capture attention (claims he’s joking) or simply to stress a point. But to his admirers and sycophants, this is part of his genius as a political strategist.

Dr. Pedrito “Toti” Morales, a Fil-American and an astute observer of Philippine politics, has this to say on their qualifications: “Trump never had any position in government service, being more of a businessman real estate developer billionaire with a record of 10 bankruptcies. Duterte is a trained lawyer, fiscal, prosecutor, and had 23 years as mayor and one term as a congressman…He focuses more on the uplift of the poor majority in terms of delivery of government services…”

Dinky Munda, an artist and a political blogger, has this to say: “Trump will be impeached by a Democrat Congress. Digong may survive politically, but may not last (end) his term (stroke, cardiac arrest).”

That is one helluva prediction considering the rumors about the President’s health. But Munda has this rejoinder: “Digong is possible to be our best president, but he is squandering his political capital needlessly! Of the 16 million voters who voted for him, 50 were women, while 90 percent Christian. Why is he pissing on them off?”

Why indeed?

In a move that rivaled the stealth with which the remains of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos were buried in the heroes’ cemetery, the House of Representatives swiftly passed last week the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) of Congress No. 15, otherwise known as the draft federal constitution.

Despite vigorous objections from some quarters, and after only three session days of plenary debates, the House approved on third and final reading its controversial draft that would replace the 1987 Constitution and lead to a shift to federalism.

Naturally, there are serious questions about its intent. As former solicitor general Florin Hilbay noted, the move to amend the 1987 Constitution is aimed at paving the way, not for federalism, but for the lifting of term limits on lawmakers and the abolition of the provisions against political dynasties.

Long story short, it’s another crude attempt by politicians to hold on to power. And it doesn’t help that its principal author is Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who can’t seem to have enough of public office, starting from being vice president in 1998, assuming the presidency from the disgraced Joseph Estrada, running for president despite an earlier avowal to the contrary, and, after that term, sliding down to a seat in the House.

So for whom is this proposed charter? Whose interest were the House members serving when they passed with unseemly haste a draft that toys with the Philippines’ democratic processes as well as its patrimony and resources?

Consider how the draft charter allows foreign ownership of public utilities, educational institutions and the media, and imagine how the case of the third telco — a consortium that includes China — could very well apply to transport facilities and electric and water utilities, as well as schools and radio-TV networks.

With President Duterte so cozy with China that hundreds of thousands of undocumented Chinese have found their way to offshore gambling operations here, the possibility of the Philippines being taken over by moneyed foreign governments is hardly far-fetched.

Think of what has been lost in the Spratlys, indeed in the West Philippine Sea. The draft charter would amount to legitimizing bullying tactics.

There is also the matter of term extensions for current officials until 2022, which means that next year’s elections could possibly be scuttled, depriving the people of the chance to elect officials whom they believe would do better than the incumbents.

At the same time, postponing the 2019 elections would allow wily politicians to craft more laws to their advantage, with little opposition from the administration-dominated Congress.

As shown in the hasty approval of the draft federal charter, it takes only three legislative sessions to tear up the painstaking process of building a democracy, pointed out Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, who voted against RBH 15.

Even Rep. Lito Atienza, a staunch Arroyo ally, decried the secretive manner with which the draft was passed: “The people’s full involvement and knowledge of what they’re doing and what they want for the future should have been considered in this particular issue.”

The draft also has “one fatal omission,” according to former chief justice Reynato Puno, who chaired the Consultative Committee on Charter Change. It failed to mention the Bangsamoro and Cordillera regions. “Unless we are able to satisfy these identity-based demands, we’ll always be hounded by this peace and order problem. The worst-case scenario is [these two regions] may even separate from us,” he warned.

The hasty passage of the proposed federal constitution has raised eyebrows as well because of the surveys showing that federalism and charter change are bottom-dwellers among the current concerns of most Filipinos. (Inflation and high prices, the lack of jobs and peace and order are their more pressing concerns, survey respondents said.)

With even proponents of federalism describing the draft charter as “garbage,” it is up to the Senate to junk it before it can do harm.

Citizens should speak out against it — loudly and continuously on all platforms, including social media. Voters can do their part by choosing wisely in the 2019 polls, electing those who can hold their own despite pressures and enticements from mercenary politicos.

It bears reminding that a Duterte majority could very well mean the approval of the draft charter, and the unraveling of the democratic process as we know it.

In a move that rivaled the stealth with which the remains of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos were buried in the heroes’ cemetery, the House of Representatives swiftly passed last week the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) of Congress No. 15, otherwise known as the draft federal constitution.

Despite vigorous objections from some quarters, and after only three session days of plenary debates, the House approved on third and final reading its controversial draft that would replace the 1987 Constitution and lead to a shift to federalism.

Naturally, there are serious questions about its intent. As former solicitor general Florin Hilbay noted, the move to amend the 1987 Constitution is aimed at paving the way, not for federalism, but for the lifting of term limits on lawmakers and the abolition of the provisions against political dynasties.

Long story short, it’s another crude attempt by politicians to hold on to power. And it doesn’t help that its principal author is Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who can’t seem to have enough of public office, starting from being vice president in 1998, assuming the presidency from the disgraced Joseph Estrada, running for president despite an earlier avowal to the contrary, and, after that term, sliding down to a seat in the House.

So for whom is this proposed charter? Whose interest were the House members serving when they passed with unseemly haste a draft that toys with the Philippines’ democratic processes as well as its patrimony and resources?

Consider how the draft charter allows foreign ownership of public utilities, educational institutions and the media, and imagine how the case of the third telco — a consortium that includes China — could very well apply to transport facilities and electric and water utilities, as well as schools and radio-TV networks.

With President Duterte so cozy with China that hundreds of thousands of undocumented Chinese have found their way to offshore gambling operations here, the possibility of the Philippines being taken over by moneyed foreign governments is hardly far-fetched.

Think of what has been lost in the Spratlys, indeed in the West Philippine Sea. The draft charter would amount to legitimizing bullying tactics.

There is also the matter of term extensions for current officials until 2022, which means that next year’s elections could possibly be scuttled, depriving the people of the chance to elect officials whom they believe would do better than the incumbents.

At the same time, postponing the 2019 elections would allow wily politicians to craft more laws to their advantage, with little opposition from the administration-dominated Congress.

As shown in the hasty approval of the draft federal charter, it takes only three legislative sessions to tear up the painstaking process of building a democracy, pointed out Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, who voted against RBH 15.

Even Rep. Lito Atienza, a staunch Arroyo ally, decried the secretive manner with which the draft was passed: “The people’s full involvement and knowledge of what they’re doing and what they want for the future should have been considered in this particular issue.”

The draft also has “one fatal omission,” according to former chief justice Reynato Puno, who chaired the Consultative Committee on Charter Change. It failed to mention the Bangsamoro and Cordillera regions. “Unless we are able to satisfy these identity-based demands, we’ll always be hounded by this peace and order problem. The worst-case scenario is [these two regions] may even separate from us,” he warned.

The hasty passage of the proposed federal constitution has raised eyebrows as well because of the surveys showing that federalism and charter change are bottom-dwellers among the current concerns of most Filipinos. (Inflation and high prices, the lack of jobs and peace and order are their more pressing concerns, survey respondents said.)

With even proponents of federalism describing the draft charter as “garbage,” it is up to the Senate to junk it before it can do harm.

Citizens should speak out against it — loudly and continuously on all platforms, including social media. Voters can do their part by choosing wisely in the 2019 polls, electing those who can hold their own despite pressures and enticements from mercenary politicos.

It bears reminding that a Duterte majority could very well mean the approval of the draft charter, and the unraveling of the democratic process as we know it.