Bong Revilla in the eyes of our friend Arnel Asturias

By Alex P. Vidal

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”—Marcus Aurelius

IF he were in Metro Manila or near where supporters of Ramon Bautista “Bong” Revilla Jr. were holding a rally in support of the former senator on January 19, our friend Arnel Asturias, punong barangay of Punong, Lapuz in Iloilo City in the Philippines would have been one of those holding a placard screaming, “We love you, Senator Bong Revilla.”

Arnel is one of the only few Ilonggos who believe that Revilla Jr. is a “good person.”

Weeks after Revilla Jr. surrendered before the Sandiganbayan for his alleged involvement in Janet Napoles’ pork barrel scam June 20, 2014, I was in the Philippines and discussed the issue with Arnel over a cup of coffee inside the Atrium’s bakeshop in Iloilo City.

Arnel, one of the former senator’s non-political (he wasn’t yet a punong barangay at that time) friends in Iloilo, did not believe Revilla Jr. scammed the taxpayers in cahoots with Napoles, who is still in jail until now.

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“It’s part of political persecution,” Arnel, who became involved in local politics after succeeding his wife Tweet as punong barangay in the same village, remarked without offering evidence.

“He has earned the ire of some powerful political groups in the country because he is a strong contender for president.”

Revilla Jr. never ran for president.

Arnel was Revilla Jr.’s regular visitor during the Cavite politician’s heyday as senator.

The former popular showbiz action star called him as “Manong Arnel” and felt comfortable if the tall and menacing looking Ilonggo former radioman was on his side every time the Cavite politician visited Iloilo.

Their friendship dated back when Revilla’s father, the late Ramon Sr. was still senator in 1992. The father Revilla was known as the “Father of the Public Works Act.”

The dead Revilla and some of Arnel’s Manila-based Ilonggo associates were friends and “had many things in common.”

Arnel’s connections with Revilla Jr. “strengthened” when he became a liaison in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office during the time of the late former President Fidel V. Ramos.

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Revilla Jr., now 59, was among the big political names in the Philippines slapped with plunder case and went to jail under the Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III administration.

The former showbiz heartthrob-turned-politician stood accused of 16 counts of graft for his alleged role in the transfer of ‎P517 million (US$10.5 million) of his discretionary funds to fake foundations “masterminded” by Napoles.

All of Revilla Jr.‘s cases were dismissed by Sandiganbayan in 2021, and he was ordered to return to the government P124.5 million (US$2.53 million) in civil liability, which he failed to do until now.

Arnel said he was vindicated when Revilla Jr. was acquitted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan and released from jail on December 7, 2018.

“I knew it would come,” he quipped.

Now that Revilla Jr. is back in jail again, this time in Payatas, Quezon City, prepared especially for flood control project scammers, Arnel is expected to again defend his friend known as “pogi” and “budots.”

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In 2024, we warned that it’s hard to imagine Iloilo City being swallowed whole by two behemoths while the Ilonggos celebrated the Dinagyang Festival 2024, which had officially romped off on January 12.

“If this happens,” we wrote, “it’s like watching the city and province of Iloilo turning into a purgatory, a place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven.”

We added: “Extremely scary and unpalatable. It would be one step closer to perdition and hell.

“Ilonggos would explode in total revulsion and forcefully curse the national government for its inability and failure to safeguard the region’s power supply and protect Iloilo after being hit by a shocking darkness, a post new year howitzer.

“We’re referring to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) proposed shutdown of telecommunication networks during the festival’s major events, and the looming power blackout as feared by the Department of Energy (DoE) because of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) intransigence and unforeseeable attitude toward power stability in Panay Island and the neighboring provinces in Western Visayas.

“It seems the Ilonggos are being made to suffer and punished for the sins of irresponsible and incompetent bureaucrats.”

Thank God the nightmares and did not happen and hopefully will never happen in the future.

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SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s de-scorch with milk.  To remove iron scorches from colorfast clothing and fabrics, let’s gently simmer the scorched article in one cup soap flakes (or grated pure-Castile soap) and four pints of milk for 10 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly, allow to dry, and wash normally.

IF WE GRAB A CANDY BAR when we have PMS, we’re likely to recognize the hormonal connection. but what if it’s our credit card we’re reaching for? Turns out that spending may also be influenced by hormones.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)