EDITORIAL - 2 or 3 of Everything Club

What do the late Jesse Robredo and the living Rico Puno, Paquito Ochoa, Rene Almendras, Jejomar Binay, Edwin Lacierda, Ricky Carandang, Sonny Coloma, Nicanor Bartolome and Alan Purisima have or used to have in common?

They are all members, or used to be members (Robredo is dead, Puno retired) of the exclusive Two or Three of Everything Club, an informal grouping of very powerful men whose powers have been split two-ways or three-ways by President Aquino.

Robredo was secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government. Puno was his undersecretary. But for reasons only he knew (and hopefully still remembers to this day), Aquino split the DILG. Robredo got local government, Puno the police (interior).

Ochoa is the executive secretary, also known as the little president. Almendras is the secretary of the cabinet, also known as the deputy president. Binay is, of course, the real vice president, which makes him the least powerful of all three.

Lacierda, Carandang, and Coloma are all secretaries of what used to be the Office of the Press Secretary, since renamed Presidential Communications Group to accommodate all three who, otherwise, could not be accommodated as a single entity, known as press secretary.

Bartolome is the sitting chief of the Philippine National Police. He is the only sitting chief of police anywhere in the world who is also floating. Purisima is the chief-PNP-in-waiting. He waits for Bartolome to drop from his floating.

When people were young, they were steeped on the notion that many hands make light work. It is a notion that defines cooperation. It means helping one another to achieve a common goal, in a way that is quick, efficient, worthwhile.

Much remains to be seen, however, if the same formula works as the kids grow into adults. In fact, by the above examples, everything remains to be seen, which is to say nothing has yet been seen of the common goal getting achieved quickly, efficiently, and worthily.