First of two partsIT is amusing to watch and hear the absurd and blatherskite reactions of the political enemies of VP Inday Sara at the latter's press conference on Oct. 18, 2024.In her press briefing, VP Sara unleashed a torrent of bladed remarks on what her followers describe as the incompetent governance of her erstwhile UniTeam teammate, for which she said she should not be blamed. She lashed at his apparent insensitivity to those who sought his attention and generosity. She slammed his insincerity for failing to fulfill a personal commitment.The lady in waiting who is to assume the role of chief executive of the entire political bureaucracy, should there be a vacuum in the presidency — resulting from the circumstances presenting themselves — as outlined in the Constitution, spared no sacred cows as she recited the events leading to her running for vice president.President's sister used VP SaraShe revealed that a presidential sister pleaded and used her to cement the victory of the brother. Her being the running mate of Marcos Jr. assured the latter of the landslide Duterte votes.She recalled not wanting to run either for president or vice president as, in fact, she filed her candidacy as a reelectionist mayor.She debunked the widely believed tale that she refused her father's importuning for her to gun for the presidency. She asserted former President Duterte never asked her to run for president; rather, he dissuaded her from accepting the massive people's clamor to succeed him in Malacañang. The former president did not want his daughter to go through the debilitating, stressful, frustrating and thankless stint of being in the top political seat.She said she finally assented to upgrade her local bid to the national level since she would be more vulnerable and easier to be ousted as city mayor if she was reelected than if she won as the second highest official of the land. Her political enemies see her as a threat and a hurdle to their lust to remain in power beyond the term of the present president. She knew she would be targeted in a demolition job relative to the 2028 presidential elections.Apparently, she was correct in her political assessment, as the assault on her character and reputation has accelerated with undisguised ferocity and unrestrained frequency.Remarks on FM remains a hyperboleAs expected from fatuous, analphabetic and vicious political enemies of VP Sara, the latter was nailed to the cross with their impertinent, misplaced, malicious and absurd retorts as regards her remarks on the remains of the late Apo Marcos. They even questioned her sanity. They might as well address that concern to themselves.These political enemies of VP Sara took her hyperbolical statement literally.Firstly, they conveniently forget that it was her father, former president Duterte, who honored the late President Ferdinand Marcos by allowing the burial of his remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. It was an official action that the four presidents before him — Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III — could not do despite the unequivocal language of the law that allows the burial of former presidents and soldiers in the heroes' cemetery.Those previous presidents were all in mortal fear of what they wrongly perceived to be a violent backlash from the people if they permitted the burial of the late constitutional dictator at the law-designated final resting place.It had to take a Duterte to go against the odds and correct a historical mistake of the four past presidents. VP Sara is not unaware of this fact.Secondly, these political detractors took her statement out of context. She was reacting to the ongoing assault on her integrity and reputation. She was effectively saying, using hyperbole, that she would not sit idly watching these political adversaries continue their demolition job on her, that she would fight back and engage them tit for tat, and that she would remain unbowed. That was the unblemished meaning of her statement.Thirdly, the original statement was made in a private chat, which means it was not intended for public consumption. It was directed to a particular member of the group. She was merely recalling a remark she made in the chat group.Thirdly, the remark was addressed to a presidential sister who did not negatively react to it, obviously because she did not put importance or malice into it; rather, she understood the context under which it was made. Such utterance was made as a reaction to the continuing attack on VP Sara's person by the relatives and allies of the brother.The addressee was not offended by it, as shown by her silence, so why should these political opponents of VP Sara be more popish than the Pope? Such hypocritical grandstanding!To be continued on Nov. 4, 2024
