Malas with Eyes Wide Open

I remember this era.  Real estate was booming, multilevel marketing was in and it seemed like everyone had money.  Then the bottom fell out.  And people, grasping at straws, caught this charismatically eccentric man named Erap, which is the word "pare" spelled backwards, another idiosyncracy known only in the Philippines.  Another problem was born.  Can you see my eyebrows rising?

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In 1997, the Asian economic crises struck, triggered by a balloon burst of the hyper-speculative Bangkok economy. The financial debacle created a disastrous effect in the investment institutions of Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Taiwan. All the Ramos gains evaporated into thin air. Malas na naman! The poor, specially Mang Pandoy, were poorer than ever.


1998 was showbiz time! The Erap para sa mahirap show opened to the chagrin of Makati Business Club.. Pasensya na po kayo, mga elitists. Democracy is also weird. The choice of the masa must be respected.


Catastrophe! Chavit Singson exploded jueteng bombs! For days on end, a nation sick in the stomach, sat through primetime TV aghast at watching the bizarre drama of alleged bribery, gambling, drunkenness, womanizing, deceit, and corruption. A lantern-jawed witness and a sexy intelligence "asset" hogged the witness stand.


Viewing the scandals on TV was like watching dogs mating in the public square. It's embarrassing but you can't take your eyes off them.


The impeachment trial serialized on TV was riveting. The defense lawyers, some wearing a canine sneer (ngiting aso) insulted our intelligence often. (Lokohin n'yo ang lelang n'yo). The whole country was stinking to high heavens.. The prosecution produced its own witnesses - Clarissa Ocampo, Emma Lim, Carmencita Itchon and many others.


Idols with feet of clay fell crashing into the dust. Those who voted against opening the envelope were legalese, procedural, and sounding intellectually brilliant. Also heartless and thick-skinned. They couldn't fathom the heartbeat of the nation. Cardinal Sin, aging and sickly, called the people again.. It was People Power II!


Same humongous and collective umbrage, same brinkmanship, and same staccato prayers! Generals Reyes and Villanueva simply joined the mammoth EDSA crowd. No US jets from Clark this time. Erap was out! Gloria was in!


Hope springs eternal. Malacañang regained its honor and dignity. Protocol was observed. Absurdity was gone. Grammatical English was back. Now the first gentleman should have been named Mr. Pakyao, he has the monopoly of the graft behind Gloria's back.

(to be continued)