Boomerang

By Alex P. Vidal

“Beware of smile, for it is a double-edged sword; it cuts the helmet of tension from other head and backfires the peace to yours.” ―Vikrmn, You By You

EVEN before the country’s political cretins, the conspirators and mercenaries could complete their final script to oust President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. these past days their sinister plot did not only nosedive but also boomeranged.

Instead of painting Mr. Marcos Jr. as the baddest guy on planet earth with outlandish accusations he pocketed billions of pesos from Zaldy Co’s alleged criminal enterprise, the president became instant recipient of sympathies and pity even from supporters of his political enemies.

Instead of alienating him from the hoi polloi, the jealous and bitter enemies of Mr. Marcos Jr. succeeded only in making him as the Philippines’ Lorenzo de’ Medici, ruler of Florence in late 15th century Renaissance.

Like Mr. Marcos Jr., Lorenzo de’ Medici the Magnificent also faced a major conspiracy known as the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478.

The plot, which involved a rival family and even the Pope, aimed to assassinate Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano during Mass in the Florence Duomo.

Giuliano was killed, but Lorenzo managed to escape with a shoulder wound. The failure of the assassination led to a public outcry that rallied support for the Medici, and the conspirators were captured and executed, solidifying Lorenzo’s hold on power.

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The grand failure by enemies of the Marcos Jr. administration committed perhaps the biggest blunders by using the disgraced Zaldy Co so sully the president’s integrity and by allowing a dimwit, the president’s splenetic sister, Imee, to assassinate her brother’s name before a crowd composed of Iglesia Ni Cristo rallyists.

Now, after the smoke has cleared, Mr. Marcos Jr. remains alive and kicking, so to speak. They failed to topple him, and the momentum appears to have reversed in favor of the administration.

Boomerang is a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so that it will return to the thrower, traditionally used by Australian Aboriginal people as a hunting weapon.

If used in a conversation, it means the all-out blows uncorked by the president’s enemies from pillar to post backfired and hit them like a thunderbolt.

What happened to Mr. Marcos Jr. also reminded us of Augustus and Gaius Marius.

Augustus, first Roman Emperor, secured his position after years of civil war and potential challenges to his authority, establishing the Pax Romana (Roman Peace).

Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman who faced the severe crisis of the Social War (91–88 BC), a major civil war that threatened to overthrow the Roman government. He was a key figure in the Roman Republic’s efforts to survive this massive internal conflict.

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APPLE has warned this writer that “scammers are getting smarter” exhorting me to “learn how to protect yourself from fraud and make the most of Apple Card’s security features.”

If the following “red flags” occur, Apple advised card holders to end the conversation immediately especially if we recognize the following:

— Unsolicited contact about your account. Be cautious of unsolicited calls or text conversations and look out for unusual, poorly worded, or unexpected emails.

— Urgent warnings. Scammers create a false sense of emergency asking you to act immediately or face consequences.

— Gift card requests. An Apple Card Specialist will never ask you to buy gift cards.

— Social media requests. Be careful who you are interacting or sharing personal information with on social media.

— One-time passcode requests. An Apple Card Specialist will never initiate contact to ask for a one-time passcode.

Apple warned on third-party app downloads. “An Apple Card Specialist will never ask you to download third-party apps to your device,” it said.

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We can protect yourself in three steps:

—Turning on transaction notifications. When we turn on transaction notifications, we get an alert every time our card is used, so we can catch suspicious activity.

—Going to Apple Card in Wallet, tap the More button More button, then tap Notifications and turn on Transactions.

— Enabling Advanced Fraud Protection. Our three-digit security code changes automatically for even more secure purchases.

Apple further advised us: “Go to Apple Card in Wallet, tap the card number button More button then scroll down to Advanced Fraud Protection and turn it on. Use Advanced Fraud Protection with Apple Card.

“Report suspicious messages. If you receive a text message about your Apple Card that feels suspicious, don’t respond or tap on any links.

“To report spam or other suspicious messages that you receive through Messages, tap Report Spam under the message.”

(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)