It must be the heat of summer, President Duterte and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez making sizzling statements about affairs and mistresses, and not just their own.
Using himself as a non-typical typical example, Mr. Duterte described himself as one president with two first ladies, at least during his inauguration, then challenged his audience, asking how many of them were not into extramarital relationships. He answered his own question, “Maybe three or four.”
Speaker Alvarez, who labeled the rumors about him and a girlfriend as beauty-parlor talk, nonetheless sought understanding, if not absolution, by admitting that it’s common practice anyway among men to conduct “affair-affair[s]” even as his daughter asked all parties to stick to the issue, the issue being the Speaker’s tiff with ex-pal Rep. Tonyboy Floirendo over a banana-plantation contract with the government.
As an aside, would the two gentlemen in the House be familiar with that Chicago law firm’s advice, “Life is short, get a divorce,” or the online dating service’s ad that reads, “Life is short. Have an affair”?
Affair or unfair, what a refreshing change it was, to be caught unawares in the shift from impeachment noises and other political scandals to the sort of gossip that revolves around friends, lovers, fidelity, loyalty or the lack thereof, the sort that my masseuse understands and can eagerly, earnestly add her two centavos of commentary to.
Have we been watching too many soap operas as the scorching temperatures signal the approach of Holy Week? One title comes to mind, “Ika-6 na Utos” (The Sixth Commandment). To be fair, there are two innocent-sounding ones, though eerily similar: “Destined to be Yours” and “Meant to Be” (alas, not “Meant to be Yours”).
It will be our fate to await the next round, when we expect the ladies, including the ever keen-to-rebut VP, and those in charge of civic and religious orgs, to give “Digong” and “Bebot” a piece of their minds, if not a tongue-lashing. Be kind but fair to both, ladies, give them equal space and equal time. We want to hear more (admissions) from them. (Jullie Y. Daza)