MEDIUM RARE
For the longest time, the man’s name was preceded in media stories by the title “cashiered Colonel” – as in former Dr. or disbarred Atty., distinctions never used before.
“Cashiered Col.” Greg Honasan, better known as Gringo – he’s not American, but of Armenian descent – is one of our meet-and-eat club, membership not a rule because there are no rules, except when someone feels like playing host and everyone’s happy to attend. There are no invitations, just a call to arms. The group has been around for longer than I care to count, although we have permanently lost a few members since 2019, before and after the pandemic.
Gringo and co. showed up some days ago for what Dulce, a cousin of the former FL Imelda R. Marcos, said was her turn to treat after returning from a trip to Boston. Joining Dulce and Gringo were Tikya, a sister-in-law of the secretary of Agriculture; Ric, a civilian lawyer with ties to retired soldiers and DND people; Mau, retired banker; Willie, father of an accomplished pianist; and myself. This listing is meant to show how nondenominational we are, which is to say, how apolitical.
It was Tikya and Gringo who had the biggest news to share. Tikya, that SM Mega Mall, the one with probably the heaviest foot traffic, is in the process of being demolished for renovation works, so all storeowners are doing the demolition works on their own, before end-July. Just as Tikya’s food store is about to be demolished, Gringo – former senator and DICT secretary -- has been designated chairman of the Reform PH Party’s paramilitary command group, which he describes as “old RAM vintage” (1986) “just to give our people a wider choice, with a clear platform and program.”
“Paramilitary,” according to your dictionary, means “military-like,” or in the vernacular, “parang” military; he is also “parang” a movie star wherever he goes. Nonetheless, Gringo has time to work with a foundation whose purpose is to feed children with food for their bodies and brain.
It may be too plain a motive, one that could easily be dismissed as unexciting, but stop and think: What sort of future soldiers are we producing if today’s kids are malnourished, stunted, who won’t look like warriors but victims?