Will a Poe presidency be ‘PNoy Act 2’? Maybe. Maybe not

Across the Central Luzon plains that spoke Pampango, there was a term of endearment applied to the late Ninoy Aquino’s storytelling prowess. It was “sarsa” or sauce. There was no story from Ninoy, whether it was political or personal, that remained bland and uninteresting. Probably, it stemmed from his background as a journalist. Or, it was due to his preternatural gift of gab. As a kid, I walked through paddies to get into Lubao’s town plaza—a 45-minute walk at the very least and a snake bite was a probability—just to listen to Ninoy’s storytelling cum political speeches.

I am a senior citizen now. I have heard a lot of political talk. But no one has Ninoy Aquino’s gift of holding his audience spellbound. At the Lubao church square, as Ninoy wove his stories in the singsong of our mothers’ tongue, I felt that I could listen to him forever.