Binay & Zamboanga

Binay

The moment I heard of a vague notion that VP Binay wanted to be included in the Zamboanga issue, I thought: Eto nanaman... And visions of him riding an amphibian vehicle, going around the flooded streets of Makati, flashed before me.

Binay and son on the streets of flooded Makati, photo from dzmm

Suddenly, pictures of Binay’s relief goods wrapped in “office of the vice president” bags appeared online. (I was going to post them here but when I was looking for the link – Lo and Behold – they disappeared!!!)

But anyway, humor me and just imagine it… VP Binay going to Zamboanga with his son the Mayor of Makati (for that matter, what business does he, the Makati mayor, have there I wonder?), giving out relief goods in the VP's very own epal packaging… (The seal of office of the VP was printed and his full name was also printed) Then, also, insisting on being a negotiator because he says he used to be Nur Misuari's school seatmate.

First, re the epal bags: Huli ka na sa balita Mr.VP. Luma na yan. Nag trend na ang anti-epal campaign. Madami na napaso. Pero, talaga lang, gagawin mo pa din? 

I don’t know. Maybe you’d like to be a little more discreet? Print like a smaller print of your name or something on those bags, why don’t you? (Oh, how I wish I had those pictures) Really, how efficient of your team to have these bags ready, printed and available, or do you have stocks of these bags just cause you never know when tragedy might strike?

And, as for that botched ceasefire announcement… What was that?!

What’s worse than inserting yourself in a negotiation that you were not originally in, effectively undermining the people who were supposed to be legitimately doing the task --- is to insert yourself, publicly annouce a ceasefire when there was none, effectively botching it completely. 

People were confused. News outfits reported the ceasefire. The Zamboanga people had a ray of hope…. 

And then, apparently, there really was no ceasefire. What was that?!

Mr. Binay: Epic Fail.

Zamboanga

I don’t know about you but I find the timing of this very suspicious.

While it is true that these groups have long had their grievances and have been feeling left out and what not…This is all old news.

I am not saying their claims and rants are baseless or unimportant (to be honest, I am not that informed to make a remotely knowledgeable comment on this), all I am saying is: Why now? What triggered this sudden attack?

And, what do they really want?

It seems to me their refusal to even give a sense of what they really want, what their demands are, and their continued insistence on shooting innocent people and keeping them hostage just indicates that they are out to simply make noise and make a mess of things, all while claiming to do it for religion or independence (or whatever else they claim this is about). 

I am just saying, I will not be surprised if this was instigated by all these people who are or about to be implicated in the pork barrel case. It has been reported that the captured rebels said they were promised P10-15K if they joined in on the fight. (So wow, they are even getting paid for this.)

Is it a distraction or a means to destabilize the current government or something along the lines of these conspiracies? I will not be surprised if this is really the case - if only because I cannot see what the point is of all this? 

I don't see the point. Lives lost. Neighborhoods displaced. The poor just gets poorer. And for what?