‘The essence of Pharmally
is the unquenchable stench of naked ambition and whether in the long run the Filipinos will prefer the same smell of six years of more of the same…’
FOR several weeks now, the Senate Blue Ribbon investigation on Pharmally has kept the public riveted to the continual expose of overpriced face masks, substandard face shields, expired test kits, negligent due diligence conducted by the DBM-PS, expensive Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Lexus luxury vehicles, all produced with documentary evidence that cannot be refuted. Added to this hodgepodge of hubris and extravagance were the revelations, confessions, and admissions of government personnel, Pharmally executives and personnel who wither under the blistering interrogation of Senators Gordon, Drilon, Lacson, Pangilinan, and Hontiveros. As of yesterday, a key Pharmally employee is now suddenly “out of reach.”
This is the new telenovela that has gripped the Filipino masses. Allegations of corruption, abuse of power, incompetent government officials, bad character actors who lie, sacrificial pawns being urged to do good, the arrogant Chinese mandarin connection, and a President who defends the anomalous Pharmally contracts at every turn and attacks the senators ad hominem, and finally, a Senate grimly determined to get to the bottom of this scandal.
Critics attack the investigation as political. But, of course, it is! Any time the government is investigated, it is political. But it is also an investigation on transparency and accountability, on the mammoth waste of government funds at a time when the Duterte government hesitated on giving additional ayuda to our long-suffering people, our frontliners deprived of their legally mandated allowances, and our country unable to scale up contact tracing and mass testing. Against this backdrop, how can we not feel angry and aggrieved? While the many suffer from government inertia, the few have benefited and enjoyed the spoils of their corruption.
What is unsaid with the Pharmally scandal but quite obviously felt within the political circles are the ramifications on the presidential elections, specifically on the planned tandem between Mayor Sara Duterte as the presidential candidate and Bongbong Marcos as the vice-presidential candidate, a formidable tandem by any stretch. Before the Pharmally scandal, the tandem seemed pretty solid. Despite repeated denials from the Sara Duterte camp, no one seemed inclined to believe that she has abandoned her presidential ambitions, due in large part to the zarzuela the Dutertes foisted in 2016.
But with the Pharmally scandal playing front and center in the Filipino psyche, the aura of incorruptibility has been shattered and now, the nagging question is whether the Duterte brand can carry the tandem all the way to the finish line. Or would Bongbong Marcos be more suitable as the presidential candidate? Added to that drama is the wishes of his mother to see the dawn of a second Marcos presidency. Or finally, will Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte go their separate ways and run for president in the 2022 elections?
The chutzpah of Bongbong Marcos and his cohorts to go for broke stemmed from a deliberate and systematic goal to restore and rehabilitate the Marcos name on social media. The Marcos family has made historical revisionism a springboard from which to launch his political ambitions, thwarted once in 2016 by a widow but now has taken advantage of all social media arsenal to sanitize further the Marcos name. Thus, given the highly questionable ascendancy of the Marcos brand and the corrupt web entangling the Duterte brand, will the proposed tandem survive or if they run separately, will either of them win?
The political essence of Pharmally is not so much the corruption, abuse of power and obeisance to Chinese influence. That much has been proven and no one in his right mind will doubt these contracts were riddled with red flags. The essence of Pharmally is the unquenchable stench of naked ambition and whether in the long run the Filipinos will prefer the same smell of six years of more of the same or will we prefer another fragrance and go for the most principled candidate.
Pharmally or Jo Malone, anyone?
