I REALLY wanted to share something about my recent trip to the capitol.
Pagka-biboha samtang nag-compare notes sa akong ka-storya sa kapitolyo.
Very juicy tidbits of tsismis here and there.
And when she said “maayo ra” when I told her about my story, that spawned a hefty dose of laughter.
Good thing that the office was hermetically sealed and our loud guffaws stayed right smack in the office.
Naturally, those around us, outside of the office of course, were wondering what’s going on inside.
The office was purposely transparent from the outside because the occupant believes in full accountability and transparency.
Because she said “ayaw og isulat na ha” and I promised to do so, pwes, no tsismis this time from that corner of the capitol building.
* * *
Every time I talk to somebody on matters that involve confidentiality, and the “off the record” thing is invoked, I always make sure that our conversation stays off the record.
I don’t want to break somebody’s trust and confidence, especially my source of information. Because by protecting them, I am ensuring myself of a continuous flow of information.
When it is off the record, it is off the record, no ifs or buts.
But most of the time, the “off the record” thing is liberally interpreted to mean that I can write something provided it is blind item and my source is kept out of the picture. And there is no way of tracing my source, thru means foul or fair.
* *
So there is this birdie who has plenty of stories to tell.
I really am not sure but I think she is planning to run for a political office comes 2025. In fact, she is very visible nowadays, always smiling and very friendly.
We were discussing about some national stories when suddenly, somebody caught her attention.
Then from out of the blue, she asked me if I heard the latest political story in the city.
When I answered in the negative, she said there is something “big” that is going to happen in the next few days.
She hinted about the possible scenario when the city will be declared a “free zone” while there will be some sort of political accommodation in the first district. A prominent politician will be fielded against the incumbent and the administration group in the capitol will be supporting this politiko kuno.
Ahem.
* * *
This politiko kuno is considered formidable because one, he has plenty of resources, two, he has great majority in the city and three, he is famous among the youth and very visible too.
Many mayors have already committed to support this politiko kuno. Of course, I did not bother to remind her that the promise of support from a politiko is like a prostitute claiming to be a virgin.
She stressed that the projected political accommodation in the district is the best formula to ensure a strong and formidable team to battle the equally-formidable incumbent in the district.
She mentioned of a particular date where the projected political accommodation in the district will be finalized kuno.
Ahem.
* * *
Another birdie shared another story involving a politiko and his relative who is a lawyer. The politiko is a neophyte so he is considered vulnerable to “deadly” transactions in government where one false move equals a graft case in the Ombudsman. The relative freely gives suggestions and advices to the politiko in order to avert a legal disaster in the Ombudsman but the politiko has already developed the habit of ignoring these advices.
So the birdie asked the politiko why he simply ignored these advices when the relative meant good and he was doing it to save his ass.
And the politiko simply said, “di ko motoo kay di man na siya nako amahan.”
Hearing this, the birdie simply smiled and said nothing.
She knows plenty.
After all, her husband was also a politician of yore, who survived plenty of political purges, including attempts to charge him before the Ombudsman and was able to escape from such political quagmire because he valued the legal and financial advices of his closest kin. The birdie said his husband knew that while he himself was endowed with sufficient mental faculties, it was always helpful to listen to second or third opinions and not to rely solely on his thinking.
Ignoring those helpful advices may somehow spell political or legal doom to those who somehow tread on the path least followed.
We would have shifted to another topic but the company of the birdie reminded her of another important meeting so we parted ways.
Amen.
