Frenzied developments in the political arena—the reshuffle and then the denial—have been driving me, and I believe the market as well, nuts, as reflected by the rollercoaster trading in the foreign exchange (forex) and equities.

And this has been the situation since the President, with all conviction, uttered in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), “Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa baha!”

’twas his first salvo on the anomalous flood control projects.

From there on, there was no stopping the revelations and exposés of high-profile personalities allegedly involved in the mess, which has sent the peso taking heavy beatings against the United States (US) dollar and pushed the stock market into a tailspin.

I must admit, it’s kinda difficult to read the whole situation, which could be likened to a Korean telenovela, as most of us keen watchers or observers are desirous to know the names of those who are involved—the list of which is becoming longer.

“The year has been quite eventful to say the least,” articulated Reginaldo Anthony “Reggie” Cariaso, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC).

While Mr. Reggie made this confession on a personal note, the statement could likewise be used to describe the condition the country is in at the moment.

Also, the timing of the appointment of this “qualified submarine helmsman” to steer the country’s fifth-largest privately-owned institution coincided with the “Mahiya naman kayo” pronouncement of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Both happened in July of this year.

Yes Virginia, Mr. Reggie, in his previous life, was a US Navy lieutenant assigned to one of those submarines navigating the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Does the surname sound familiar? Is he related to Jeffrey Joaquin Cariaso, the head coach of the Blackwater Bossing team of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)?

He is not, Virginia! In his own words: “I get asked that all the time. I am not aware of any relation to him.” And come to think of it, Jeffrey is known as “The Jet” to his peers and legions of PBA followers, while Mr. Reggie is the submarine helmsman. Kinda oxymoron.

“It has been an exhilarating fast-paced five months for me. The year been quite eventful to say the least,” Mr. Reggie admitted, while hoping to “navigate the future” with more vigor and excitement as the financial institution “unveil new and exciting opportunities” for the banking public and “for our fellow countrymen.”

What has changed since then?

According to this 57-year-old banker, he picked up the game of golf as well as pickleball, a mash-up of tennis, badminton, and ping pong that can be played by singles or in pairs, either indoors or outside. These two games are a bit easier to manage compared to what he previously did—the triathlon.

Now, on the rollercoaster movement of the peso, Mr. Reggie took a calm stance on the value of the local currency versus the almighty green, taking the same position as that of his peers that the peso is slightly “overdone,” simply because we are in the season wherein importation is low and dollar remittances from overseas Filipino workers are at their strongest.

True, there’s uncertainty, and my prayer is that this floodgate telenovela mess will have a good ending with concrete steps addressing corruption for the sake of the country and us, the people.