Jaime’s cardinal sin

I was at the National Press Club in Manila when I learned that Jaime Aquino held a press conference right at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, to announce, among others, that Archbishop Oscar Cruz is a gay and that he “sexually molested” him when he was 18.

At first, I could not believe that Jaime did it. But then, knowing the man, his stunt should not come to me as a surprise anymore: he has done it before; he did it now; he will do it again.

As a case in point, Laoac Mayor Gregorio Tabayoyong pointed to Jaime as the one who engineered the filing of rape charges against the poor mayor and six of his policemen at about this time last year. The woman, of course, turned out later to be non-existent.

Broadcasters Allan Sison and Rannie Manaois also point to Jaime as the mastermind in the filing of the hold-upping cases they are now facing in Villasis.

And who can forget Jaime for his story four years ago in a tabloid, where he listed the names of Pangasinan media practitioners (including this writer) who are supposed to be in the jueteng payola?

There may have been other people that Jaime had victimized. He used his paper, the Northern Star, for “demolition jobs” by publishing black propaganda using fictitious bylines. Of course, he made big money out of it and he may be the only Pangasinan newsman now with the most number of libel cases.

As I watched Jaime that day in a late night television newscast, he looked like a pathetic and a confused clown acting before an angry mob. And as he spoke about his supposed “romantic relations” with the archbishop, the more that he gave himself away, with his nose doing a Pinocchio.

Jaime’s show came to a drastic end when Archbishop Cruz suddenly appeared in the news conference and Jaime did not even recognize him!

Poor guy. He should have studied his script well. Or his director(s) should have rehearsed him many times over until he’s ready for the act. At least, by doing a perfect act, he could have convinced the whole nation that he was a credible clown.

ENDNOTES: The city government is now manned by high school students, as part of Dagupan City’s 58th anniversary celebration. This is the second year of the Ogogaw ya Malingkor program, where students are selected to assume as the city’s mayor, vice mayor, councilors and department heads. This experience should provide them good training on leadership… While in Manila, I had an opportunity to meet former Gov. Oscar Orbos. We were both so happy to see each other again and we updated each other on the country’s political situation. Well, he’s not returning to Pangasinan politics anymore.

QUICK QUOTE: True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness. -- Friedrich Nietzsche