“As the late legend of an intellect, JPE, advised his daughter when he was alive — ‘always look for the end game’”
“Walang katapusang gulo.” I reacted when news of what was transpiring in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearings evince the supposedly “tell-all” tales of USec Roberto Bernardo.
I was then on an SUV ride from Butuan City to Surigao del Sur through what Rodrigo Duterte as president “gifted” Agusanons — a widened concrete road from Bayugan to Bislig, but for some repairs in Sibagat where some work was being done by the DPWH contractor.
While in Surigao del Sur where the phone connectivity was choppy, I got snippets of Zaldy Co’s “bombshell” implicating the Office of the President and the former Speaker, along with ES Bersamin’s right-hand man since mysteriously transferred to the PLLO vice Dong Mendoza, and DBM’s Mina Pangandaman whose office was obviously involved in the “insertions” and releases (no brainer that!).
It was only when I was back in Butuan late evening when I got to watch the videos, spiced with reports from trusted sources.
USec Bernardo was Ping’s “surprise” witness, the guy who knew everything that happened in this sordid mess, and whose fingerprints were all over, while liaising with legislators over implementation and advanced payola, while USec Cabral was in charge of “planning,” a simple methodology of listing down the “allocables” in the NEP based on legislator’s demands.
Ex-secretary Bonoan must have been tipped to get scarce because Bernardo was about to unveil his “new, improved testimony” (parang Tide advertisement of the 70s), and so, following the usual playbook, he slipped out to the US of A for his wife’s medical condition.
Bernardo zeroed in on the senators, including two who were chairs of Finance, now retired Grace Poe and now DepEd secretary Angara. That again was obvious. How could bicam’s have been completed without their collaboration?
But why no congressmen other than Zaldy Co? Come on now, Robert.
So Zaldy who had been suspecting he would be the fall guy, who saw when he was made to resign last January after the president’s Manang Imee exposed the sleight-of-hand in the 2025 GAA via a privilege speech while Chiz was yet SP and Grace was yet Finance chair, must have quietly gathered all his proofs, waiting for the right time to explode his know-all, tell-all if he senses “laglagan.”
And only a dolt would not have sensed he was being set up for the fall after the DPWH, the ICI, the Blue Ribbon mysteries were quickly unfolding. So from wherever Zaldy is, Zaldy tells.
Is it the truth, or “his” truth?
Sen. Ping says Zaldy’s cameo appearance had “no probative value,” that he should come to the Senate and swear before talking.
But then again, recall how he and then DOJ’s Boying damned Orlando Guteza for a mere “notarial slip” (likely because the 24-hour notary was pressured), despite the fact that the poor guy swore before him and his ComSec Quimbo, to tell the “whole truth.”
One rule for Guteza, another for Co, who are both now hiding somewhere in the planet?
The Palace keeps mouthing the usual refrain — why would the President start the process saying “Mahiya naman kayo!” if he was involved, as Zaldy now exclaims?
Just to chair the round-robin ASEAN summit would require 18 billion smackeroos pala?
No wonder the palace would pride itself with an extravaganza in the newly named Foro de Intramuros on Sunday (yesterday) to herald the chairmanship of the 2026 ASEAN summit, a happenstance that occurs every year with no government other than ours making such a big thing out of the usual annual meeting of heads of state.
Why, they even spent billions to renovate Imeldific’s PICC for next year’s big bash, and the CCP too, where our artists would give a “command performance” (for Xi and Trump)?
An economist asked me last Friday night for my analysis of the “latest” and all I could say was “everyone has his own self-serving agenda,” whether the investigated or the investigators. And each one is protecting whoever, be it self or someone else.
I have this sense of déjà vu.
I was in Malacanang every day during the tense moments between Nov. 13, 2000 and Jan. 23, 2001. I resigned from Erap’s government Nov. 3, but was prevailed upon to help him still as a private citizen.
Governance was paralyzed, with President Erap dazed. ES Ronnie Zamora’s health could not withstand the stress and went on medical leave right after Clarissa Ocampo delivered her bombshell of a testimony.
How do you defend a president who was always in denial, unable to tell his handlers the true confession so that they could craft proper defenses?
These days the plot(s) thicken. As the late legend of an intellect, JPEm advised his daughter when he was alive — “always look for the end game.”
It seems there is no end game, yet.
