This is not an endorsement of Silvestre Bello III for any elective position in the coming political exercise, but he is one of the few Malacañang returnees just as he has been in and out of several government postings. He has been here, there, almost everywhere from justice secretary to peace negotiator, on top of which he has the two lady Presidents for bookends, Cory to Glory. Right, he’s been there, done that.

But is he readily recognizable?

Not as easy to spot as Franklin Drilon, maybe, “but I’m one year older.”

His present assignment as Cabinet secretary was a surprise to him, Secretary “Bebot” tells “Bulong Pulungan” at Sofitel hotel, and while coyly admitting that he doesn’t know why he was put there, he’s smart enough not to answer most of our questions. Such as, who’s the best performing secretary (would he have preferred to disclose who’s the worst nonperforming asset?); is GMA really gunning for a seat in Congress; and if DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno’s back in town, why are he and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita quiet about it? One question that harvests an answer: Sure, FVR endorsed Gilberto Teodoro for president, but he did the same thing for Bayani Fernando.

The reader can guess that this is not the man from whom to pry the Cabinet’s current, juiciest morsels of gossip; but unhappily married people contemplating to terminate their unions are forthwith warned that declarations of nullity will be harder to get, now that Mr. Bello is no longer the self-confessed “permissive” solicitor general who participated in such hearings, in which his role was essentially to preserve the unity of the family as the basic unit of society.

Asked about a forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle, the secretary demurred from giving a reply. Asked what’s the matter with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Mr. Bello said, “He’s busy trying to meet the President’s deadline to finish 15 airports by year-end.”

There’s another deadline, for the Armed Forces to wipe out the insurgency movement by 2010.

Reading between the lines and his body language, peace is not so much a deadline as a dream.