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So the moral of the story? When it comes to the First Family the
facts are oftentimes far removed from the actual truth
IT is common knowledge that President Gloria
Arroyo is a tough, hands-on operator who by sheer force of
personality (and conviction, of course!) always manages to get
everyone around her to her way of thinking. And the long and
seemingly tireless hours she puts into the job is legendary—as is
her temper when anyone in her official family or presidential staff
is found to be amiss in their duty.
But on a recent flight between Manila and Los
Angeles, when she was en route to her state visit to Peru, President
Arroyo discovered that she doesn’t always get her own way—as we
too found out during a pre-Holiday Season soiree, were we happened
to be seated at the dinner table with someone who had been on that
flight as part of the crew.
Apparently when Presidents husband Mike Arroyo
fell ill on board the aircraft a few hours out of Manila, the
cockpit crew had to make a quick decision to reroute the flight to
get Presidents husband on the ground so he could be dispatched
speedily to hospital.
The pilot decided to turn back and head
to Osaka Airport in Japan, which was within about three hours flying
time. But President Arroyo insisted they fly on and land in Hawaii
where her husband could receive the necessary treatment in the USA.
And she could spend more time with him there while still keeping to
her onward schedule.
But the Philippine Airlines pilot, being
the commander-in-chief some 30,000 feet up in the air, overruled the
Commander-in-Chief of the Philippines and decided to head for Osaka
and land in Japan rather than the President’s preferred landing on
American soil.
We should point out that we got this
information (in a manner of speaking) straight from the cockpit and,
more importantly, it was imparted off-the-cuff as a result of our
own very relaxed query during that dinner party with no big deal
attached to the conversation.
But a few days later, that causal chat took on
a whole new meaning when rumors started flying around suggesting
that the real reason for the Presidential flight to be rerouted to
Japan was something more sinister—a rumor so malicious and so way
off the truth-o-meter that it is not even worth repeating here.
As the rumor gained mileage, we went back to
our in-flight friend just to re-check that we gathered the facts
correctly as had been casually told us a few days earlier at the
dinner party. And sure enough it was.
So the moral of the story? When it comes to the
First Family the facts are oftentimes far removed from the actual
truth.
But then again, in the fiery firmament of
Philippine politics rumors are a lot more juicy, and the truth far
less intriguing.
In a simple yet solemn ceremony at Club
Filipino, well known and highly respected Atty. Frank Chavez was
conferred the title “Tribune of the People” by the National
Union of People’s Lawyers (led by its national president, Atty.
Fred Gapuz). Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Sen.
Manuel Villar and Sen. Francis Pangilinan were also present at the
ceremony, together with senior Supreme Court Justice Leonardo
Quisumbing.
The title was conferred on Atty. Chavez
in recognition of his persistent, unwavering and continuing fight
these past 38 years for freedom, justice and democracy, espousing in
the process public interest cases and the cause of the poor, the
needy and the oppressed.
Among his many legal triumphs were the
acquittal of more than 500 detainees during Martial law on
trumped-up charges of sedition, inciting to rebellion; the Tarlac to
Tarmac cases, press and religious freedom cases; Lino Brocka
inciting to sedition cases; the Escalante massacre and Bar-Marcos
proclamation case.
In the fight against corruption, landmark cases
handled by Atty. Chavez include exposing the Presidential Commission
on Good Government (PCGG) anomalies in 1988; in 1990 exposing the
Philippine Airlines P2.2 billion scam; exposing the Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office small town lottery scam; Chavez v. PCGG;
Chavez v. PEA-AMARI; stopping “Operation Recovery” during the
time of President Joseph Estrada; exposing and seeking investigation
by the Ombudsman of alleged $2-million deposit in Switzerland by
then DOJ Secretary Nani Perez, and exposing the anomalous agreements
covering the Smokey Mountain project.
rjottings@yahoo.com
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