IF THE season just past is any indication, arid El Niño rather than wet La Niña will make the weather condition in the coming election campaign period.
Ay, just about everybody complained of the “dryness” of the last season, everybody pined for the liquidity of Christmases past, though not everybody found the scapegoat in President Aquino for it.
From her hospital cell, former President and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dished out some lofty economic context to this as she dissed the Aquino administration for failing to deliver, most especially in its much-trumpeted public-private partnership (PPP) program.
GMA twitted – in both its cyber and dictionary meanings – the PPP “remains to be realized by the actual start, let alone completion, of new projects that will improve upon the substantial infrastructure we have already built.”
Furthered GMA: “The fiscal stability and macroeconomic resilience that was first achieved under my watch still remains to be translated into more foreign direct investments that will ultimately deliver the inclusive growth that the business sector and the impoverished three million unemployed Filipinos are still waiting for.”
At ground-level, there were the waves of the slippered and shabby-shod masses rushing to some politicos’ mansions for their usual Christmas aguinaldo.
As rashly crushed with their much-deflated dole – P100 for adults, P50 for teens, P20 for tots – from last year’s P300-P100-P50 rates. And to think there’s an election coming!
The boys and girls of local media fared as bad in their own Christmas orbit.
All agreed it was their driest Yule since some city top honcho made their buena mano of noodles, sardines, corned beef and NFA rice in bags – actual remnants of relief packs repackaged with Christmas tinsel and ribbons plus P500 in ampaw a few years ago.
Malas! Jingle bells failed to ring through the new year, in the media carolling that year.
This time around, even without that long-dreaded and now-comebacking politico as panigo – the first gift-giver, in Kapampangan synonymous to buena mano – media as tough orbited the Sahara.
Politicians generally made themselves scarce, if not made total Houdini of themselves, soon as December set in. Only Gov. Lilia G. Pineda and City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez gamely went through their traditional media get-together. A few – very few – others of the “usual givers” delivered through their respective handlers – ham, cheese, wine, baskets of goodies.
Still the general assessment – much less.
Come on guys, it’s the spirit of giving not the price tag on the gift. And yea, receiving gifts is not an entitlement but a privilege. Something terribly lost to the hordes of media gatecrashers.
In the corporate realm, SM and Smart provided the media so much fun. Business magnate Levy P. Laus too.
And on its seventh year now, TIPCO for the “Taiwan boys.” By special delivery, Yokohama, Lakeshore, and Fontana.
So who’s the top grosser this year, the venerable Ram Mercado asked me.
Could there be anyone other than the enterprisingly resourceful Cris Navarro, the astute Ashley Manabat put it as rhetorical inquiry. And segued to the opening lines in this piece with a contradicting commentary:
If the season just past is any indication, wet La Niña rather than arid El Niño will make the weather condition in the coming election campaign period.
Reasons Ashley: The politicians held back on their spending, wanting to maintain their war chests for the battles ahead.
It is foolhardy to go all out at this early, when the official campaign period has not even started, and run short in the homestretch.
I tell you, money will rain in torrents this April-May.
“Magbunganga ka sang dimonyu,” the visionary Deng Pangilinan hoped Ashley to be.
That will certainly put the happy in the new year.
