A Disappearing Act

LOOKING OUTSIDE  Arroyo at St. Luke's  

There’s drama in the news lately. The accusation against Ramona Bautista, half-sister of Sen. Bong Revilla, over a possible homicide, and resulting in the death of her brother, Ramgen, is gaining ground in the headlines like some serious threat to our national security. Newspapers, televisions, radios, even the social media, all jumped into the scene and cashed in on the case as soon as it hit big time when rumors of foul play and bad blood surfaced among the accused and immediately created a circus, culminating perhaps in Ramona’s departure from the country just days after the incident took place.

Not to be outdone though, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also shared a little bit of that histrionics, in that like Ramona, she too desperately wanted to go out of the country so she could recuperate from a lingering illness she herself felt for quite some time now that has made her short of a vegetable on her hospital bed. Although we could feel a sense of concern over Ramona’s coping out from these relentless interrogations implicating her of the crime, but Arroyo’s motion for reconsideration, so to speak, (for her health, I mean) is way too subtle and suspicious a move than that of Ramona’s. And even with the requisites of her hospitalization, Arroyo's purported move outside of the country, as exemplified with her request at the Department of Justice (DOJ) can only bring about a host of questions than a series of answers not so much intended for her health though but to the countless cases of graft attached to her name.

Now the second act is beginning to take shape. Of course, the natural thing to do after committing a crime is to run away from it, unless you’re stupid enough to present yourself to the authorities and savor the publicity afterwards. I bet that would be the last thing Ramona and CGMA had in mind when they were allegedly at it. The only difference though is that the former is still considered innocent until proven otherwise, while the latter has already been proven otherwise but still considers herself innocent.

Judging from the disposition she now tried to overcome, I might be inclined to accept the disease revolting inside her body, but to see her leave with all the pending cases imposed upon her, despite the limits of her hospital concerns, is simply nefarious at close range. It is my suspicion, or it might just be this sinking feeling I have for her since her political descent, that she is merely ducking, ala Mayweather, everything around her, including the possibility of being litigated through that election fraud she allegedly called.

I understand, however, that hospitals outside the country, especially in Europe where her supposed trip should be taking place, has all the equipment and personnel to monitor Arroyo's health 24/7, but because she is still fighting her way through her past sins, from broadband deals to fertilizer scams, since stepping out of Malacañang, her camp, if they are indeed serious about healing not only to their Gloria dear but to the country as well, could at least make some arrangements for her to recuperate without actually leaving the country, so she could face the music and sing. The demands of her dirty laundries allegedly used during her reign as president have already been stacked in volumes and that her oh-so presence to do some laundry is a must, to say the least.

She could use some time off, no question about it, probably the reason why she begged for some respite as soon as she was diagnosed of that crippling disease not too long ago. Seeing the former president one could almost feel a brush of pity at her sorry state. We could only speculate at how bad her situation is, with that ubiquitous wrap around her neck. She looked more like a damaged lot, worn out from the rigors of bad press and negative politics brought about by this inundation of corruption inquiries. And considering the direness of her predicament, it seemed logical that she should find ways to heal away from this mounting mess, and that a time spent outside the country might be the only option.

But we can’t afford to lose her now, not yet, now that Ramona is already in hiding. There might appeared to be some serious squabbling going on in the Revilla clan, particularly when Ramona’s mom, Genelyn, hinted on Senator Revilla’s sketchy motive over Ramona’s unraveling; the other clan, on the other hand, the one that got away with murder two times (Erap's and FPJ's), is constantly making a list and checking it twice, as always, and appeared to be using her slide as a passport for their escape. And after all said and done, Ramona’s concern is simply an internal matter between members of her clan, the latest of which is the alleged 2.3 million debt incurred by Ramona's mom over credit cards; but Arroyo's episode, nevertheless, involves an external one, and that it concerns everybody in the country.

Arroyo’s insistence to recuperate abroad seemed like alliteration at best, a recurring monologue that only those in her camp can probably interpret. It even went to the extent of having a contest by challenging the present administration to present a doctor who could actually heal the Labandera from the laundries that has causing her mandate as a Representative of Pampanga to stain. That, in itself, serves as a curious take to Arroyo's healing bid abroad. 

Perhaps the Ampatuans can probably pinpoint a doctor that could heal their former boss and save their already severed relationship since that ill-fated massacre a couple of years ago; perhaps Garci can make a few phone calls for the best available medical practitioner in town and not feel “sorry” about it on national TV afterwards; or perhaps Elena Bautista-Horn, CGMA's spokesperson, the one who instigated this doctor hunt, could recommend one herself for her "sick" president in case the healing takes an ugly turn. I feel sorry for all the doctors and specialists who are burning their asses everyday, doing their stuff even CGMA isn’t prepared to admit.

Why resort to some soap opera over a potentially curable discomfort? Why not hire that foreign doctor instead so we could begin that “healing” (Arroyo’s favorite term) right here at home? Why complicate it with some rounds of soliloquies with the intent of discrediting the capacities of our homegrown talents as potential caretakers of the former president? The issue in here is not in Ramona’s sudden departure, although she still has to do some reckoning if she decides to go home and sing like a canary, but more than that, and even more significant than Pempengco’s recent tragedy, nonetheless, is that of Arroyo's relentless and inescapable attempt to disappear just before her supposed epiphany that makes this whole act tragic in its consequences and epic in its proportions.

FPJ’s widow, the actress Susan Roces, recently expressed suspicion over Arroyo’s sickness-unto-death dramatics since she herself, at some point, did suffer the same kind of illness the former president is now undergoing. And I wonder if Gloria's case has gone acute compared to that of Ms. Roces, and even that has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Unless you’re apt to believe that Arroyo’s reason for being outside in the country is simply to heal, your suspicion is as good as mine.