A decadent conspiracy

IT is now obvious X-Justice Antonio Carpio has been consumed with a burning desire to oust Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte. And there is more to it than politics.  It can all be about Scarborough and what is beneath the bowels of that atoll and that power grab and the only means to achieve these of course is to mount a coalition for 2022 elections. 

During the launching of the “1SAMBAYAN” coalition, the X-justice hurled an initial salvo attack against Duterte and mincing no words calls him authoritarian, which is another word for ‘dictator’ and charge the President for abetting extra-judicial killings. Duterte has been inured to that oft-repeated tirade by his political enemies who had been salivating for power. Moreover, the unkindest cut of all is when the former magistrate took a stab at Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte whom she described as “not qualified under their coalition”. 

Inday Sara had been busy supervising the enforcement of health protocols and strategic restrictions in Davao. It never occurred to her that a sneak assault from a person she must have least expected will come from happened. After all, she is married to Manases “Mans” Carpio, who like her is a lawyer, but as the husband of the much-talked-about up-coming political figure in the country, is admirably low profile. Mans is a nephew of Conchita Carpio-Morales who is a cousin of the former ombudsman. Strange indeed While there has been a frenzy of activities all over the country urging her to run the lady mayor is out of the radar screen. She had issued a statement as early as December that she is not running while her father,  the President,  had counseled her not to run. 

I did manage to get a crisp response from Mayor Inday Sara when I told her about the context of the tirade of the ex-Justice Carpio. Always a polite lady she said: “Yes sir, di ko alam bakit sila biglang mangatake. Puede naman sila magsabi ng diretso we want to run (Yes sir, I cannot understand why the sudden attack. They could have just said directly that they want to run)." For his part, Attorney Mans posted on Facebook, “I cannot choose my relatives”.

The convenor of 1Sambayan is a former Aquino Education Sec. Armin Luistro and assisted by a Jesuit Bert Alejo who was made famous by Bikoy. Carpio presented in his gallery of candidates the failed Otso Deretso senatorial bets, VP Leni Robredo, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Antonio Trillanes, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. X-Justice Carpio and Luistro appeared on primetime TV probably wishing their show of force will start rolling and gather momentum. But as it turned out, it was nothing but a whimper. 

Well, well it looks like 1Sambayan started to disintegrate faster than the sound and fury of the x-justice and the sermon of Brother Luistro.  Mayor Isko expressed surprise why his name was on the list. Later he issued a statement that he would prefer Davao City Mayor in whatever position she runs. Then came Trillanes who said he will run for President if Leni will not. Trillanes has always been out sync as Stephen Sakur of BBC described him but then where X-Justice Carpio and x-DFA Sec. Albert Del Rosario and the Scarborough issue surface the chief negotiator Trillanes is not far away. Add the hard loser Jejomar Binay who from his retirement managed with a sepulchral voice to criticize Duterte and X-Justice Caprio’s attempt to either be the king or king-maker is a classic failure. 

X-Justice Carpio’s ambition to become President was extinguished before it can even flutter. What he merely accomplished was to assembled with loose nuts and bolts some pieces of political junks. It’s the same faces that made up the discordant and decadent conspiracy to oust Duterte. 

But I would give credit to the X-Justice for having the courage to crack a whip at a quiet lioness from the South.