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 “Ces and Frank”
by Bingo P. Dejaresco
"Cesand Frank” is not as funny as TV’s “Mork and Mindy” or as nostalgic as “Dick and
Jane” or as a couple like “Brad and Angelina” or as enemies like “Punch and Judy.”
But for the last 10 days, “Ces and Frank” was the most famous item on the lips of 90
million Filipinos for separate reasons.
“Frank,” as you know, was
the howling super-typhoon that
devastated a wide swatch of
area across Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao and destroyed P3-billion
worth along the way together
with hundreds killed or
missing.
“Ces,” on the other hand, is the
Ces Oreña-Drilon, the famous anchor-
star reporter of ABS-CBN
who was abducted for “10 days, in
the Jungle of Hell” and allegedly
ransomed for a whooping P20 million.
“Frank” was frankly, hotheaded
and spared no one
along his warpath, leaving many
lives and property lost and the
rest – for a time without electricity
and water. It was the dark
ages – again – “Frank” is now
facing a number of court cases
for multiple murder and massive
destruction of private and public
property.
“Frank” – or we might as well
call it the monster-killer “Frankenstein”
– claimed its largest horde of
victims by sinking off Romblon island
the MV Princess of the Stars
of Sulpicio Lines – with over 800
passengers, many of whom are
believed dead.
Even on those early days of
the “floating coffins” plying the
Manila-Cebu route, that sea
area in Romblon has always
been choppy and filled with
sharks. How hungry the sharks
then at the time of sinking could
determine how many more survivors
will rise from yet another
tragedy involving Sulpicio Lines.
Sulpicio Lines or “Puwerhisiyo
Lines” as one radio commentator
termed the shipping line, could face
a franchise loss since it has already
been involved in three sea disasters
in the past 21 years. The biggest
of course, was when the Doña
Paz collided with an oil tanker that
killed 4,386 off Mindoro-considered
the worst maritime tragedy of the
world in peace time history.
Levity, aside, since we cannot
(frankly) bring “Frank” to court, we
can only blame four entities:
Sulpicio Lines, the Coast Guard,
the Pag-asa weather bureau and
our 60 gallivanting congressmen.
Sulpicio Lines, nine corporate
lives and all, lived to stage another
tragedy at high seas over the dead
corpses of thousands of unfortunate
Filipinos. It is plain corporate greed
to force vessels to travel even with
the threat of the typhoon. The Coast
Guard: for allowing the vessel to sea
even under Signal No.1 – for God
only knows (since Pag-asa doesn’t)
that mid-course the storm signal can
change to Signal No.2 or 3.
Pag-asa (as in “walang pagasa),
despite its multi-billion annual
budget, cannot seem to do
what it was erected to do: predict
the weather. All it can lamely say
is that since 1948, this is only the
second time that the country experienced
a “wayward typhoon”
(translate that Pag-asa could not
track).
But given the woeful, awful
record of Pag-asa of predicting “super”
typhoons that never arrive (delayed
by bad weather, sir?) and forecasting
sunshine for horrible rains –
wasn’t the inability to spot the wily
“Frank” just Pag-asa’s trademark of
being true to form? Que horror!
As for the 60 congressmen
(almost 25% of the entire Lower
House) who are on a junket with
President GMA in Washington,
may God have mercy on their
souls. Some of them – while their
constituents walked between life
and death and sacrificed so much
discomfort – allegedly decided to stay and shop (with people’s
money perhaps) and watch
Pacquiao beat Diaz live on Sunday
(Manila time) in Las Vegas.
We have nothing about rooting
for Pacquiao – but certainly the timing
is off and these junketers’ act
leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
As for the “Ces” kidnapping
episode – everyone is being
blamed except Government –
which has the sole responsibility
of ending the Muslim secessionist
movement, upon which the terrorists
like the Abu Sayyafs have
built their crusade on – by getting
help from disgruntled Muslims.
For instance, they blame Mayor
Isnaji, for taking part of the ransom
money – when this appears to be a
Modus Operandi all along for kidnapping
cases in Mindanao – the negotiators
– whether military or civilian
reportedly partaking of the loot as
their “bonus” of walking the extra
mile?
For instance, in the Dos Palmas
kidnapping who got P10 million of the
P20 million ransom paid? Your guess
is as good as ours.
Then an insensitive Presidential
Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye
all but blamed Ces Drilon for her
bravado in covering the Sulu story
saying “Ces recklessly disregarded
personal safety to get the
story. No story is worth putting
one’s family in agony for.”
Allegedly, against orders of
ABS-CBN, Ces Drilon likewise covered
the Manila Peninsula slege of
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV last November
and got herself hailed to jail
– for God knows what reasons the
PNP had.
But that is precisely where
true-blue journalists worth their
badges like Ces begins to be different
from the like of Bunye – who
are arm-chair analysts and fires
words inside air-conditioned offices
and protected pulpits in the
Palace. How dare him tell Ces how
to do her job?
Then presidential aspirants jealous
of Senator Loren Legarda’s continued
high acceptance rating – tried
to destroy her role in Ces Drilon’s
“escape to freedom” – by accusing
her of grandstanding and credit-grabbing.
Loren Legarda who had been
instrumental in the past in peacefully
causing the rescue of journalists
(like Arlyn de la Cruz) and military
men (like Col Buan et al) and
had used her Honorary Muslim
Princess title to advantage in the
negotiations was asked to do a job
as a public official. She also honors
Ces as a friend and colleague.
Senator Loren was begged by
Ces to help intervene, Maria Ressa,
head of the TV network’s news and
public affairs bureau asked her the
same and Arlyn de la Cruz encouraged
her to use the same channel of
rescue utilized in the past.
While these acts of courage of
Loren are mocked by rivals, it is
worth noting that tragedies like
kidnappings and paying of ransom
should not have happened (in the
first place) if we had peace and
quiet in places like Mindanao.
Who do you think should get the
blame for that – Senator Loren
Legarda?
Ces and Frank, what front-page
stories they made!
For Comments: email to
bingo_dejaresco@yahoo.com.ph or
bohol-rd@mozcom.com
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