Cat-astrophic

Still reeling from the Pacquiao-like one-two punch of damaging revelations by former Congressman Zaldy Co about having received billions in kickbacks, plus the damning (and very public) indictment from his sister no less about long-term drug use, the President had to contend with two more combination punches: the resignation of former public works secretary Babes Singson from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Supreme Court  ruling ordering him to return the P60 billion  the administration grabbed from PhilHealth. 

These major setbacks sent the President’s approval rating to the canvas, giving him his lowest score ever. Luckily for him, with the military behind him — for the time being, at least — he was able to get up before the Fates counted to 10.

Unluckily for him, his — or his administration’s moves — right after these disasters, dug him a deeper hole for himself. First, his son and House majority whip Sandro Marcos, implicated by Co in his videos, may have voluntarily appeared before the ICI, but his immediate demand for a closed-door session made it look like he had something to hide, something that no amount of spin would cure. Then, taking some ill advice from his handlers, the President suddenly claimed credit for the Bucana bridge in Davao, when it was immediately verifiable through the internet that the project was a grant from the Chinese government during the time of President Duterte. 

Add to that the increasingly inept handling by his mouthpiece of her frequent press briefings, and it appears to be only a matter of time before Mr. Marcos Jr.’s popularity will plunge some more, next time likely below sea level. 

But the one thing that his political minions did that was most damaging was the way they handled the ethics complaint against Representative Kiko Barzaga. From the outset of the committee hearings, the purpose and outcome were never in doubt: the administration lapdogs in the lower chamber wanted to silence someone who was not only one of the most vocal critics of the Palace, but arguably the most effective, amusing, and charismatic among the younger generation of Filipinos.  So to this end, Barzaga must be sanctioned.

And sanction him his House colleagues did, by imposing a 60-day suspension. And for what? Scathing attacks on corruption and posts on social media of “scantily-clad women?” The first was well within the rights of any citizen, and surely the duty of an elected official. As to the second, it was ludicrous, not only was it prudish but even hypocritical. The President’s son’s (former?) actress girlfriend Alexa Miro did worse, going totally naked in one of her movies. What I mean to say is that nudity — partial or full — is not per se wrong based on current community standards.

Of course, as in many things the present government does, this backfired big time. Not only did Barzaga emerge bigger and stronger as a Gen Z and Gen Alpha martyr for free speech, but the fact that he was rudely interrupted while making a speech on the floor made him look like an underdog, which Filipinos favor. 

Clearly, Congressman “Meow Meow” was the big winner in that battle, which just added another “cat-astrophy” to the long list already plaguing the current regime.