Are the crimes orchestrated?

Several people have commented that they do not believe that the helicopter accident involving senatorial candidate Chavit Singson was for real, in fact some media reports called it outright gimmickry. This was reenforced by the fact that on Monday, Singson was shown on several TV channels abed in a hospital with plasters all over his head but apparently not seriously hurt. The next day, what did we see, but a very frisky Chavit Singson back on the campaign trail, with the adhesive tapes on his head gone.

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Why would the Ilocos governor resort to gimmickry? It could be the fact that his name hardly comes out in any of the surveys. Also, the limits set by the Comelec on political ads and materials must have frustrated him a lot, because, as a provincial government executive, the national media hardly pays him attention. The "crash" managed to get him a lot of free footages and front page space, didn't it? But we'll know when the next survey results come out, whether the helicopter affair helped his candidacy or not.

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But one cannot foresee how voters, even the non-voting ones, will react to political campaign materials and, let's say, "gimmicks". In the case of Chavit Singson, a new survey will tell whether or not the helicopter gimmick - if it had really been one-works. But we will still see a lot of similar gimmicks before the season is over. By the way, what happened to the TV ad of candidate Miguel Zubiri using the Boom-Tarat-Tarat theme? It hasn't been shown lately. Did he realize that it was only attractive to young people who cannot vote, after all?

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Another reason for his dropping it must be the fact that it didn't seem to enhance his personality but rather made him appear juvenile. It could also be the reason why he doesn't seem to do as well as expected in the surveys. Will the Ethanol community be able to salvage his candidacy? Unfortunately, the common tao does not seem to understand or realize what advantages his pet measure could bring. But there's still time, unless, like Mike Defensor, he turns off voters by repeatedly violating the Comelec rules on postering.

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News about the condition of first gentleman Mike Arroyo seemed hopeful yesterday when reports indicated that he was already aware and communicative even before the 48-hour watch was over. As the first family believed, it must have been prayers that wrought the turn-around. Strangely, there seems to be a lot of VIPs, people in the lead, who are getting sick these days. Before the presidential spouse, Victorias Mayor Severo Palanca was also hospitalized. Even the general who had taken over the government in Thailand was also hospitalized for stress and hypertension. Indeed, as the saying goes, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown".

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Meanwhile, it is difficult to understand how people can be so attached to material things. In Malaysia, residents of a longhouse who barely escaped with their lives when an earthquake caused their homes to collapse and sink into a crevice it created hardly credited the one who warned them on time, but instead mourned for their antiques and ancient jars and mats that were buried with their house.

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Are we seeing a repeat of the political strategies of 1998? Remember? Just before the elections then, Bacoleños were bothered by the frequency of hold-ups and other crimes against property. People could not understand why the community, so peaceful and relatively crime-free the months before election season rolled around, suddenly saw a rash of hold-ups that sometimes seemed so outlandish, they could only be orchestrated, and with a purpose. Well, it was later found out that they had really been orchestrated, by people who would gain from creating an atmosphere of criminality and lawlessness in Bacolod City.

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That is why discerning city residents have noticed that the same thing seems happening again. Note how many hold-ups and house-breaking incidents are being reported, obviously to set a record. Those who noted this say the planners could be the same cabal also responsible in 1998, or their disciples. The people of Bacolod must beware of those who would be their leaders, but who use the methods of the devil. A reminder to Bacoleños: Be alert, and don't be terrorized or manipulated, help the police to catch the criminals so their bosses can be identified and exposed.*

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