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Herbie Gomez

THERE is something not exactly right whenever a politician holding public office dares his critics to bring him to court, or seek his disbarment as in the case of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez whose graft case against fellow Duterte supporter, Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr., opened a can of worms about their indiscretions.

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Alvarez sued Floirendo before the Office of the Ombudsman over an agreement between the Tagum Agricultural Development Corp. (Tadeco), which is owned by the latter’s family, and the Bureau of Corrections.

It turned out that Floirendo is suspected to be among those behind alleged moves to oust the Speaker. Now, we are told that their friendship soured as a result of a spat between mistresses.

Talk about the ouster plot has been going the rounds in the Lower House for some time now. Months ago, a congressman told me that congressional staff members in the know have been talking about moves to make former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the next Speaker. A number of congressmen, he said, had this reason for wanting the former president: Arroyo has a record of taking “good care” of her allies unlike Alvarez.

Now, the mistresses–and how one of the most powerful men in the land, like his boss, tries to deodorize his indiscretions by stating without shame that everyone has a “girlfriend” (read: paramour) and so it’s okay for him to womanize or something to that effect. Mr. Speaker, that is something not to be proud of especially for someone holding public office.

Rappler reported that Alvarez’s “girlfriend” has been frequently seen with him even during official trips abroad. A screenshot from a congressman’s Instagram profile showed a photo of the woman sitting adjacent to Alvarez in a plane bound to Vientiane, Laos where they accompanied President Duterte to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. It looks like taxpayers are spending for the mistresses of politicians.

Alvarez’s response to calls for him to be disbarred for the extramarital affair: “If they have ethical issues… go ahead, file the complaint! And maybe no lawyer would be left!”

Such arrogance.

The years I spent covering politics taught me that whenever a politician resorts to using this line, it means that, almost always, he is cornered. It means that he has run out of reasons, and so he confronts the question with “Go ahead, sue” in the hope that he could free himself from a very difficult situation and, perhaps, buy himself some time to think about a good defense.

The dare doesn’t disprove anything, much more prove innocence although it can sometimes mean that the politician believes his own lie or has actually succeeded in convincing himself that he is innocent.

But most often, the dare is intended to flaunt a false sense of superiority over another or power. That is impunity for politicians holding public office.

It may not be correct to impose Christian morality on the Speaker. Maybe he is not a Christian and so, Christian morality does not apply to him. Or maybe his wife gave him a license to be with other women. That is between the Speaker and his wife.

What Alvarez does behind closed doors is his business. But I do mind if taxes are used in order for officials like Alvarez to be able to bring their “girlfriends” to places so that they could do things there behind closed doors that are none of our business at the expense of taxpayers. And I do mind if a spat between the “girlfriends” sparks a bigger fight between two congressmen and begin affecting legislation. Then it becomes the public’s business. Pastilan.

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