Ayala Avenue denizens are beside themselves over news of the raging “family feud” among relatives of a wealthy trader who passed away recently regarding the disposition of his multibillion-peso assets.

Lawyers for the contending parties are now said to be engaged in frenzied talks to fashion an amicable settlement soonest to nip lengthy litigation that would bare their deep, dark secrets, which most assuredly would be lapped up by nosey newsmen from both the print and broadcast media.

The protagonists in the looming battle royale are said to be the “two significant others” in the late tycoon’s life — with whom he cohabited over five decades ago while still struggling to make his mark on the world — and their respective litters who’re fighting to get their paws on as much of his wealth as they possibly can.

Too bad, though, all these hassles could have been avoided if he only had the foresight of engaging in estate planning to quietly apportion his business and real estate interests while he was still around.

Instead, the deceased businessman, who is quite highly respected in the local business community, had opted for a last will and testament which is now a major bone of contention as it favors the “first” wife who under existing laws is entitled to the lion’s share of the inheritance, especially if the relationship with the other woman is deemed bigamous.

Pushed into a corner, the “second” wife and her progeny, who are supposedly in control of many of his blue chip firms, have filed a petition seeking authentication of the alleged last will and testament before the Regional Trial Court which has scheduled a preliminary hearing in a few weeks.

Unfortunately for all, should the litigation prosper, it will violently rattle the businessman’s vast holdings (many of which are publicly listed, while the others are partnerships with

multinational corporations) as the judge will surely place the contentious issue of ownership under a microscope, even possibly jeopardizing the good name he painstakingly nurtured through the years.

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), which is supposed to be the country’s ruling party with President Duterte as titular head, has announced it isn’t fielding a complete 12-man line-up in the 13 May senatorial elections.

Highly unusual, to say the least, as this is the first time in recent memory that the party in power won’t have a complete ticket in a senatorial derby.

Normally, the pundits will readily tell you, there would be a big crowd of hopefuls elbowing each other to gain the inside track into the administration ticket as it almost automatically assures the lucky ones of Senate glory.

But not this time. There are virtually no candidates banging on the doors of the PDP seeking inclusion in the party’s senatorial slate because it is a lame duck and those who persist are lame ducks themselves.

So, it is for this reason that any politician worth his (or her) salt is wont to avoid the PDP like the plague and seek their fortune elsewhere.

To be frank and honest, that “elsewhere” refers to Davao City which nowadays is the center of political power, where Mr. Duterte holds court whenever he gets tired of Malacañang and where Sara Duterte and her Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) can be readily found.

And Ms. Duterte, as everyone knows, is the super-influential daughter of the President who is the de facto leader of the formidable group known as the “Duterte Diehard Supporters” or DDS which is composed of untold thousands of voters instrumental for the landslide victory he scored over Mar Roxas in 2016.

Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, president of the PDP party, who is merely a knight in the political chessboard where Digong is the king and Sara his queen, tried selling the notion that their non-fielding of a 12-man ticket isn’t a sign of weakness, but a “strategic decision” because it would be unfair to field candidates who, in all probability, would end up losing.

Who’s Koko kidding? All balderdash and he knows it. The real reason the PDP cannot complete its senatorial ticket is that there are no takers, and all the politicians of note are now flocking to Davao hoping to gain entry into the HNP, with Ms. Duterte and all the votes she commands.