GMA needs a
good spokesman now

“A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker…” The words come from an old nursery rhyme and seem to have revived their relevance today, as the country launches its search for the person who will occupy the post from which the unworthy Renato Corona had been removed recently. At first there seemed to be no takers for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with even those already among the remaining justices, demurring.

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But now, everybody seems to want to make a try, and it is as if the ones nominating them have also adopted the guideline that “Anybody, anybody…” will do after Corona. After the nominations started trickling in, several others got named, and, believe it or not, some are not even members of the legal profession! Among the latest are a retired judge, a vice mayor, and a nurse who is described as unemployed. Well, being chief justice would be quite an employment wouldn’t it?

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It looks, though, as if two women, both now in government, are vying for the “edges”. The boss of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, who is also a lawyer, claims to have an edge over the others, since Malacañang is supposed to consider her its fair-haired girl. But another fair-haired one, the incumbent Justice Secretary, is believed by some sectors to have the edge over them all. What about the senior justices, who are all “possibles” by virtue of their present offices? Some wags are predicting that there could be more than 20 candidates, if the trend continues, and what a job the Judicial and Bar Council, that has to vet them all, will have.

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Meanwhile, the person to whom all this can be traced, is facing more and more charges, even with the dismissal recently of some of them. Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the one who took the risk of appointing Corona, is herself now in worse condition, with both her and her husband facing all kinds of cases, some unbailable at that. Only recently, a former close aide of Governor Andal Ampatuan, of the Maguindanao massacre repute, testified that she had instructed the governor to ensure the victory of all her candidates, figuratively by hook or by crook.

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But why is GMA not saying anything in her defense, with all those charges being poised against her? What happened to her spokespersons, especially that former Land Transportation official, who only seemed to make matters worse for her during those days when she almost departed for the United States, were it not for the swift decision of Justice Secretary Leila dee Lima, et al? Maybe, former President Arroyo should call back to duty her former spokesman, and now Congressman Anthony Golez. I think he will still be the best man for the job.

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During those post-election days when GMA was battered so much by the media, and even by members of the House and the Senate, Golez was the one who could give the best replies to defend her. Many believe he was the one who could turn around the attacks against GMA most adroitly, that he had that special gift. But, would Golez still defend her, or even meet her now? When Congressman Iggy Arroyo died, somebody from the media who was there told us that former first gentleman Mike Arroyo expressed surprise to see Golez at the wake. That garrulous lawyer, the one who offered his balls for the sake of GMA, does not seem to be doing a good job as spokesman. Poor GMA.

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The Pacquiao-Bradley travesty continues to hog headlines even in the U.S.A. The latest is that the World Boxing Organization is already looking into the case, and starting its own probe, even as the Nevada District Attorney has also gotten into the act. Another one who has shown interest in the injustice on Manny Pacquiao, is U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who also expressed disgust over what happened. Wasn’t Senator Reid the candidate who was endorsed by Manny in the last senatorial election there?

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But let’s not expect any changes in the decision, no matter what the investigations turn up. Bradley has reason to gloat and even claims that he watched the fight tapes and declared that he was truly the winner! The decision of the Three Blind Mice can no longer be overturned, whatever fixing or Mafia talks come out. The best solution came from Oscar de la Hoya who says Bradley should have given the belt back to Pacquiao, right after the unconscionable decision was announced.*

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