The daughter who cried wolf

By Alex P. Vidal

“Bluffing is most effective when done sporadically; bluff too often, and you’ll blow your credibility.” – Daniel Negreanu

IF she will be elected (her supporters have nothing to worry if she’s “late” because daddy knows best) as the next vice president in the May 9, 2022 Philippine election, how can the Filipinos trust Sara Duterte-Carpio now that she has become known as “the daughter who cried wolf?”

Can you trust a leader who changes her mind as often as she changes her hairstyle?

Can you trust a politician who lied about her true intentions (“I will run for mayor today, I will withdraw my COC tomorrow and run for another position, or none at all, and so on and so forth”) even before the goings get tough?

In the tale The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a shepherd boy repeatedly tricked nearby villagers into thinking a wolf was attacking his flock.

When a wolf actually did appear, the villagers did not believe the boy’s cries for help because of his tainted credibility, and the flock was destroyed.

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Known in the political circle as Inday Sara, the mayor of Davao City has tainted her credibility–if she hasn’t lost it yet–when she recently withdrew her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for reelection as mayor of Davao City.

The withdrawal, which wasn’t totally unexpected, came after she repeatedly and prominently made known to the public she wasn’t interested to run for a higher position other than for reelection in Davao City.

But it appears the withdrawal of her COC was somehow connected to November 15, the much-awaited deadline for substitution of candidates, where everyone has been waiting on tenterhooks.

The suspicion that Inday Sara is only at the beck and call of daddy and will do everything to please him in as far as the daughter’s political future is concerned, will be confirmed when vice-presidential “candidate” Bong Go will also withdraw his COC on or before November 15, and pave the way for the daughter who cried wolf.

If they think they’re doing this “to confuse the enemy”, they’re dead wrong. No one is confused. They played chess like non-rated pawn pushers; all their plots were much-anticipated, and people were able to read their lips and body language.

The script was poor, and this will disqualify them from the Famas award.

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What a shame that Go has been apparently forced to participate in this film festival at the expense of his own credibility as an elected senator.

He and another charlatan, Senator Bato Dela Rosa, have been forced to perform as toy soldiers for The Boss, who simply regarded them as duckpins ready to be sacrificed and toppled in a back alley bowling game.

Public servants with delicadeza and self-respect would feel embarrassed now that the people were aware of everything they did politically, they did it for daddy or The Boss, not because of what they wanted; not because of public interest, which should be the paramount consideration.

Amid the daddy-daughter-duck pins filmfest, there is an impending case in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) seeking to disqualify Inday Sara’s rumored future standard-bearer, Bongit Marcos, because of past convictions in the trial court for non-payment of taxes.

In the event Bongbong will be disqualified, this will justify any attempt to elevate the daughter who cried wolf as the substitute presidential timber.

With daddy’s power and influence, it’s not far-fetched for the daughter who cried wolf to be “elected” as the next president. This possibility, of course, can only happen if Bongit is canned.

If he wins (assuming he won’t be disqualified), Bongit will need to constantly watch his back from the would-be “elected” vice president daughter who cried wolf.

Can a next sitting president trust this kind of vice president?

We can’t imagine a republic being directed by a daughter who cried wolf. She had cried, nay lied before and thought it’s normal even before becoming the second-highest person in the land. She will cry, nay lie once more once she is in power.

Everything she does must have daddy’s imprimatur as a “debt of gratitude” or as “out of fear.”

If daddy has respect for the daughter who cried wolf, he will let her decide for herself, not to pull the strings for her.

Never mind the duckpins and ass-lickers. The film festival won’t be completed without the supporting actors.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)