By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
I chanced upon the press conference of BBM on TV and he was different from all those who came before him as president. He lacked the usual presidential bombast. Perhaps with the exception of then Tita Cory who really capitalized on her reputation as the respectable but humble housewife.
BBM was another package. He was not articulate enough for a president. He sounded tired and would fumble every now and then with his words but overall, you could forgive him for that. Because he didn’t come as arrogant or even authoritative. He just spoke humbly so he appeared just like an ordinary decent boy next door. You get the impression he might be a good guy to hang around with and “talk about women and glasses of beer.”
With that, some people might think that he was not one that corrupt officials and smugglers would fear. They might even underestimate him . ….. to their own peril.
Somehow, he appeared like Roger Federer who was slim and fit with a medium build you never could confuse with Schwarzenegger. He is just an ordinary guy who could be easily underestimated. Then he pulls off a smashing serve in the tennis court hitting exactly the line on the side with a speed of 150 kilometers per hour. The opponent just did not have any chance. And you realize that beneath that nice demeanor is a “killer”.
That was exactly why Rolex got him as their poster boy in their ads during his championship days. It indeed delivered the message that a Rolex watch could be relied on during challenging times. A reliability not easily expected from a thing of beauty. It was not just a nice and luxurious watch. It was also a reliable one even in a very deep sea.
That was not so far from the reputation of James Bond. Good looking, dapper in his sartorial flair so he was the consummate lady killer. He also had the smashing energy that could easily choke or twist an enemy’s neck sending him to heaven in a split second.
The same lesson here. Underestimate him at your own peril.
That was my conclusion when I saw BBM in that presscon. You can easily be beguiled by his “nice boy next door” vibe. But behind that velvety personality is a politician through and through. Politicians are capable of undertaking what the darker side of human beings can devilishly plan and execute with a sleight of hand,
So I was not at all surprised when he vetoed the bill creating an economic zone at the Bulacan airport being built by Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corporation. Tie that up with his mother Imelda’s having ran for president in 1992 when Danding Cojuanco ran also for president. Reportedly, it was to frustrate Danding’s presidential aspirations as he did not admit being the proxy for Marcos Sr. so the former denied the latter’s shares of stock with San Miguel.
Anyway, much later, BBM sued Lucio Tan to the effect that Lucio Tan’s companies actually belonged to Marcos Sr.or at least a big chunk of these. BBM lost that case.
Let us wait and see the next moves of BBM regarding such companies. One thing is sure. underestimate him at your own peril.
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