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When your city or part of your city is under siege where would you be if you were its chief executive officer? Like a father or a mother at work, who, after knowing that their kitchen is on fire, would he or she not rush to the house to at least make sure that the children are moved to a safe place? Any parent won’t just keep still and wait for developments to transpire before he could think of something to stop the fire quickly, keep the children safe, and make sure no more such incidence will occur in the future.
Where then was Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay? Why was he not visible during that six-hour stretch — of what is now called the Makati Standoff (see 360-degree photo renditions by the Philippine Daily Inquirer) staged by political-suicidal Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV — that despite the news picked up by local channels on television, he simply stayed put wherever he was, expecting his police force to do its job? Oddly, the city’s force did not do well. Not enough show of force for a small band, I guess. Oddly, Binay did not show up. And, man, for six long hours! Not until he was hounded by the media. All because he felt he wasn’t needed at the scene.
The Manila Pen might not be paying its city taxes if Binay can afford to look elsewhere while some disturbance was going on there! Was that why he initially offered that the city will shoulder all the expenses to cover for all the damages at the Manila Pen, so as to redeem himself from the utter shame of not being there? I’m sure he’d think twice now that the hotel’s resident manager, Matthias Al-Amiry, reported losses and damages in his suite amounting to millions.
And that wigged guy who kept himself busy, posing around Trillanes? He was with Trillanes during the Oakwood mutiny in 2003. He now belongs to Binay’s security detail (but not for long) and was absent from duty that day. Hmmm, why am I not surprised at all? That only proved that Trillanes’ network is so active even as he is serving time, that former comrades get to know details of the uprising brewing in their master’s mind. Also, a number of Makati city hall employees joined Trillanes’ march to the Manila Pen. Will they still keep their jobs for cutting time? for joining the show? Or will they be jailed altogether?
So now a little less than 30 policemen, including the city’s O-I-C Police Chief Angel Sumulong, were dismissed from service for just letting Trillanes and his band parade on the streets of Makati. And, yes, Binay earned anew the ire of Malacañan. He used to arm himself to the teeth (remember when then PTV4 was surrounded by elements who wanted to take over the station?) way back during Tita Cory’s time. Aw, but that was then. The tables had turned; he is now president of the United Opposition. No one can blame him if he isn’t active at circumventing any coup attempts against the government. Child’s play is so not for him anymore! But the word wars have begun. Binay has a lot to say here. Are we in for a face-off between Binay and Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon?
Meanwhile, the inmates of the New Bilibid Prison declared they don’t want anymore trouble — they don’t want Trillanes anywhere near them. Yeeouch!
