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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider 'Mahiya naman kayo'

'Mahiya naman kayo'

Published Aug 28, 2025 12:01 am  |  Updated Aug 27, 2025 05:22 pm
MEDIUM RARE
‘Twas a Liberal Party party, if you could call it that, although the event was billed as a book launching.
Raul A. Daza, 90, Samar-born, former governor, former congressman, has been a Liberal since 1965. His new books come as a pair: A Life: Years of Crisis, covering the years 1974 to 1983, and A Life: Years of Hope, covering 1984-1987. (Disclosure: Raul traces his ancestry to Eugenio S. Daza, a strategist of the “Balangiga Encounter” during the Filipino-American war at the turn of the 20th century. Eugenio was the father of the man who would become my father-in-law, Gabriel A. Daza.)
At the book launch at Club Filipino in Greenhills were Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, young topnotchers in last May’s elections. I did not see Senator Risa Hontiveros, LP party president, and Dr. Florangel Braid did not stay long. I talked briefly to Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima before she was pulled away by LP supporters asking for “picture! picture!”
As I told Rep. Leila, she was positively glowing, the best revenge a woman could have after being detained in jail for seven years. Two days before our meeting, Rep. De Lima had told Congress why she was opposed to a committee of the Lower House taking charge of an investigation into anomalous infrastructure programs, including flood control. Her position was that it would not be “prudent” to do so “as it might entail possible conflict of interest, possible collusion, possible conspiracy with the big-ticket contractors” — an opinion many citizens share. A congressman investigating congressmen suspected of having a hand in red-flagged projects? Only in the Philippines?!?
Speaking of which, about one generation ago, there lived an economist who could not bite his tongue — as rumors of corruption in high places swirled and swelled – and still he tried to shout from the rooftops: “Mitigate your greed!”
I wanted to see where the story would lead, but there it ended. The guilty ones pretended not to hear —the best reaction is no action. “Mitigate” — a strange word, indeed...
Last week, President BBM put it another way, using stronger words in the national language: “Mahiya naman kayo!”
Still no effect.

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MEDIUM RARE JULLIE Y. DAZA
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