Great Filipino 'hiders'

It's a pity that they don't have an event in "Hiding" in the World Olympics. Because if there were, there's a fair chance that we'll get our first Olympic gold in this event.

Consider Virgilio Garcillano who turned the head of the country for five months, disappearing like a rabbit in a magician's hat. With everyone looking for him Garcilliano managed to mystify and discombobulate the searchers as to his whereabouts. They looked for him everywhere, even in the most obscure restroom. But Garci remained invisible. Now, in a recent revelation, News Break, a weekly magazine edited by Marites Vitug, has detailed what really happened. Firstly, Garci's claim that he did not leave the country was a big lie. His disappearance, according to the well-researched article was engineered by officials led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Lending logistic support to Garci was jueteng lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda with his gigantic moneybag.

The first foreign country Garci sampled was Saudi, Arabia. (After Hello Garci caper). However, in a letter to a friend he wrote from Saudi he said he was not happy there. Was it the heat? The strangle looking inhabitants with their foreign head gear? The incomprehensible language, the hot sands of nearby deserts?

It's not clear, as far as the time-line is concerned but it appears that Garcillano also went to Sandakan via Tawi-tawi, aided by a member of the Presidential Security Group. (The government, apparently, was keeping tabs on the whereabouts of Garci).

But what is most interesting is the report that, after a few days in Sandakan, Garci returned to Mindanao where he stayed in Cagayan de Oro, his hometown, moving from one place to another, obviously to escape detection. But what takes the cake is the report that Garci was able to talk to GMA when

she made a side-trip to Cagayan de Oro. (This was sometime on June 16, 2005.) According to this report, he was able to sneak into GMA's vehicle where he stayed for 30 minutes. There is no record what they talked about.

To make a long story short, the other place visited by Garci was London. That he was also in Argentina and Brazil remains speculative. (There is no evidence that Garci wanted to learn the Tango or the Brazilian Samba).

That Garci is one of our outstanding "hiders" remains undisputed. When he chose to emerge from hiding, it was his at his chosen time, not because he was discovered. In other words, had Garci chosen to remain out of sight, I believe he would still be invisible right this minute. That is why I say there ought to be an Olympic event in Hiding. My candidate is Garci.

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Another character who has shown some talent in disappearing is "Joc Joc" Jocelyn Bolante, former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Senate committee under Sen. Magsaysay wants to quiz Bolante about the 728 million fertilizer scam. He, however, has also de-materialized.

It is reported that Bolante has been sighted at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Chicago where he is considered a long-term guest. If this is true, it may be more difficult to "catch" Bolante. The U.S. is a big place --- an ideal place to hide. I'm not really surprised to hear that the Catholic Bishops have given up on the Search for Truth in the Hello Garci case. Searching for truth is one of the most difficult endeavor around. If one were to search for the truth in a political minefield no one can predict the outcome of the inquiry. Conceivably, cannonades to the left of them, cannonades from the right of them would occur: At the end everyone will insist the truth is this or that - damn the official report.

If the truth were to be established by a political body, like the lower house of congress - the truth, by sheer numbers, would probably emerge, to favor the administration, who, after all, holds the purse strings. But the truth has a peculiar way of being known. Assuming that the Filipino is not stupid, we can posit that he will ferret out the truth. Human beings have a "lust to know".

This is the basis of the media industry. If you control the media like what the Japanese did during their occupation of our country there will emerge a "rumor mill" which we referred to at that time as "radio puwak".

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As if our troubles are not enough, here comes the terrible Wowowee tragedy that snuffed out the lives of basically old women and children. Who is to blame? This is the game we will be playing remembering those boat tragedies and typhoon floods that took hundreds of lives in the past. As far as I'm concerned the government has also to answer some questions. But you might as well make the Sphinx answer questions.*

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