To “back off” or to “back down”?

In the wake of the ZTE Corp./National Broadband Network deal quagmire that's reeking so bad despite its suspension by Pres. Gloria Arroyo, the brusque "back off" phrase is still abuzz.

That the First Gentleman (FG) did confront Joey de Venecia III to his face when they met in Wack Wack golf club, is without quibble. It's just a couple of questions may differ in answers depending on which side of the coin you're betting on: 1) Was the meeting between them intentionally set up as in pre-arranged, or just a chance encounter? 2) Was the tone and demeanor of the FG so commanding and stentorian the way Joey demonstrated with the forefinger almost touching Joey's face, or in soft deferential tone the way the FG's lawyer depicted it later?

If the meeting had been pre-arranged, together with Joey, Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, among others, the inescapable implication is that the FG showed unusual interest in the meeting agendum, obviously about the ZTE/NBN fiasco. And dipping a hand into a gargantuan cookie jar, could be credible.

And if the FG's "back off" was that curt and authoritative, that could also reinforce the perception not complimentary to the FG. Moreover, that also inevitably triggers the imaginative deduction that the FG's lady isn't that far behind, whatever it amounts to.

Many observers do not believe that the "back off" role of the FG had been motivated by his inordinate solicitude for Joey as the son of Speaker Joe de V. over a possible indictment for graft and corruption and nefarious interest, if so, could be behind it. And who can blame those entertaining such nasty thought?

Quite amazing and unexpected could be why the FG had to throw caution to the wind, what with the Jose Pidal accusation of Senator Lacson against the FG which, incidentally, has not yet been put to definite closure.

Remember how the FG had to be "exiled" during the height and heat of the Jose Pidal turmoil, and how he has been crucified for other alleged influence dispensations? His present "self-exile" is a "déjà vu" skit, after all.

Thus, the least that the FG should have done, was to swear by a stack of Bibles, for one, to distance from lending influence, vis-à-vis all governmental functions. In short, the vow should have been not only to "back off", but more, of a total "back down".

On the surface, what Joey de V repeatedly did not accuse point blank the FG of getting a slice of the ZTE/NBN cake, may be drowned by the pregnancy of what was left unsaid, save for  the "back off" order, even if left hanging without "or else".

  The same thing with retiring Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos. His repeated denials of any hand in the ZTE/NBN deal, appears with weak persuasive ring. All the tri-media outlets - and even without the statements of Joey and his father, Speaker Joe de V - and the other big names dragged into the Senate tri-committee investigations, have pointed to the Comelec chairman as pushing for the now questionable broadband network project.

Again, like the FG whose cameo role might only be as mere "back off" booster, Abalos could perhaps be just a friendly indorser to accommodate some golfing buddies, that is, with neither strings nor ropes attached. Nonetheless, it could be a case of throwing caution to the wind, albeit Joey de Venecia offers a different version of the $329 Million mega-scam.

Whatever be the final real score that surfaces in the on-going Senate probe, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos' denial was worth in gold, or in brass, depending on which side you're on. To many, the revelations of erstwhile NEDA chief, and now CHED chairman Romulo Neri on the "200" something offer of Abalos to push for the ZTE/NBN have thickened the plot on the "back off" or "back down" scenario.

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