Gold medals, cocaine and ninja cops

Several things happened in succession this week eliciting an ample dose of euphoria, shock and discomfort. It’s all about gold medals, cocaine and ninja cops.

We were part of the millions of “kababayan” worldwide that were glued to TV sets watching gymnast Carlos “Caloy” Yulo performing a stunning feat in the Paris Olympic floor exercises and on vault. They were impeccable executions that made him distinct from the rest, and in the final canto earned him two gold medals with the National Anthem reverberating twice in all nooks and corners of the globe while the Philippine flag fluttered in the Olympic Stadium. What a celebration.

Awaiting the sports hero, aside from a roaring welcome, are a magma of prizes and gifts way beyond his imagination. What occupies him now is his profuse gratefulness to God for making things possible for him.

If Yulo’s performance was spectacular, a shocking and damaging revelation of alleged cocaine addiction in the higher echelons of power and the social elite has added fuel to what had already been the talk of the town.

Suddenly the Palace propaganda machinery dished out a hurried line: “Cocaine is not as bad as fentanyl.” Well, I have seen FPRRD illustrating how a fentanyl patch is applied to where the pain is but I have to confess I have not seen PBBM sniffing cocaine which is done through the nose, except for the video that was shown on Facebook and other social media platforms, Cathy Binag’s confession on Maharlika blog among them.

I do not know where Cathy’s story will lead to. The Palace is mysteriously mum and so are the television networks, except for SMNI. Maybe silenced? The story line is unfolding in chapters, although over 100 USBs have reportedly been sent to her most trusted friends in case something happens to her.

In the meantime, the Kadayawan festivities in Davao City have started despite the dubious and uncanny happenings and startling presence of masked policemen in black helmets and uniforms, in full battle gear but no name plates. Their vehicles have no license plates. It looks like they have pitched camp in front of the KoJC compound where a school and the Kingdom ministry are located, a stone’s throw from the Davao International Airport. This unusual display of power is unsettling.

The PNP seems to be earnestly trying to picture Davao as a city in chaos. This is in contradiction to what this city is known for — stable peace and security. Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Deloso Torre III, the new police director, has repeatedly claimed the crime statistics in the city had been doctored. This is a direct affront to the officers and men of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines who maintained the peace and order in the city. The AFP for one had declared Davao City and the Davao provinces as the first city and region in the country that were insurgency free.