Assassins

For all his temper tantrums, especially during inebriated moments, supporters swear Taray King Fernando Poe Jr. is telling the truth when he says he abhors violence and will abide by whatever ruling the Supreme Court issues on his disqualification case.

The only question is whether he can also make his followers abide by a ruling against him.

It doesn’t take long for anyone to get used to rumors and black propaganda in this town full of dirty tricks. But recent whispers can alarm even the most jaded journalist. The nation is headed for trouble, you better believe it.

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One rumor that you’ve probably heard is the purported plan to save the weak republic by taking out the man most likely to become the next president – who else but Fernando Poe Jr.

Now don’t be a hypocrite. Unless you’re among the politicians or their relatives and friends salivating to make hay in a Poe presidency, surely you’re having nightmares over the prospect of all-night beer-guzzling sessions at Malacañang, the return of the Philippine version of the extended family system, and presidential sound bytes limited to: "Mahirap yan ah. Saka na lang!" (Rough translation: Hey, that’s tough. Let’s tackle that later!)

Those nightmares, however, aren’t enough justification for the assassination of FPJ and the declaration of a state of rebellion to quell the consequent public unrest, paving the way for the takeover of a civilian-military junta associated with President Arroyo.

That’s one version of the rumor anyway. The other version is that communist rebels are the ones plotting FPJ’s assassination to sow chaos and allow Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal to march in triumph from the Bondoc Peninsula to Malacañang. That sounds more like hallucination than anything else, but anything is possible in this crazy country.

It makes you feel you’re in a time warp, all this persistent talk about a communist takeover or a junta. It makes you realize that there are people bent on turning this weak republic into a banana republic, with the chief export being maids instead of bananas.

How low can we go? Sadly, we’re still a long way to go before touching bottom.

Especially if the other sinister rumor also has substance.

What other rumor? That one particular cabal, this time associated with FPJ, is also seriously considering taking out certain controversial personalities. It is said that FPJ does not seem to be aware of the plan.

Still, that’s giving a new dimension to the FPJ threat, uttered in all seriousness during one cranky moment, that if people stop him from running, "hindi na sila sisikatan ng araw (they won’t see the light of day)."

The threat, of course, was issued before FPJ’s camp issued an official statement, quoting him as saying: "I will abide by the law, that’s the law. I don’t want violence, I don’t want unrest."

That was yesterday. Today we might have another version of the light of day declaration, depending on who’s doing the talking for FPJ.

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For all his temperamental outbursts, I believe FPJ is a gentle soul at heart. People who have known him since his early days in show business swear by this, attesting to his kindness and humility.

Sure, the FPJ temper is no secret. Neither are the romantic liaisons. But long before he declared his candidacy, when he was telling those egging him on that he didn’t know what he’d do if he won the presidency, people were talking about the goodness of this man, about his extensive donations to charity that were given on condition that he remained anonymous.

When FPJ promises honesty and personal integrity, you believe him. Left unsaid is the promise that he won’t be another Joseph Estrada, the bosom buddy whose hedonism proved to be his undoing as president.

But in this land of con men and opportunists, how long can an honest president survive? The nation needs the firm grip, the alert eye of someone wise to the ways of thieves and snake oil salesmen. Yet even Erap, slaphappy but street smart, did not stand a chance; the sycophantic crooks were soon running circles around him.

You almost wish FPJ would heed the advice of his naughty rival, former education secretary Raul Roco, to withdraw from the presidential race and just concentrate on turning the Philippine movie industry into something at par with Hollywood.

The Philippine movie industry is being left behind by its counterparts in other Asian countries, especially China. India’s movie industry is gaining global acclaim. Most Philippine movies, on the other hand, are still stuck in formulaic plots with a lot of weeping, screaming and juvenile sex, with tinny sound and substandard editing.

If FPJ can’t even help fix the ills of the movie industry, how can he hope to fix this badly damaged country?

That is just the carping of critics, however, and his withdrawal from the race is just a hallucination of all his rivals for the presidency.

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Yesterday FPJ bared his economic team, to be led by Bernardo Villegas and the dean of the University of the Philippines School of Economics, Raul Fabella.

The names in the team are somewhat reassuring. If FPJ will be manipulated by his economic advisers, they might as well be competent economists.

Now he has to reassure the nation that he can control the passions of his supporters. First he must talk to his legions of fans, calming them as they await a ruling from the Supreme Court. For all we know, he will win his case. Already he’s on his way to being declared by the Supreme Court as the rightful standard-bearer of the opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino. Expect a ruling this week.

Then FPJ must rein in those engaging in idle talk (let’s hope it’s just idle talk) of civil unrest and assassination in case he’s disqualified.

It will be the mark of a true leader. And a man who truly loves his country.