Scholars have found that 7, the number, often represents perfection or completeness in the Bible. This is how little I know. I can only parrot that 7 symbolizes completion or perfection although I do not really know why. It is said that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. I have also heard that in Judaism, there are 7 heavens. The Koran, Islam's holy book, also speaks of 7 heavens, and Muslims making the pilgrimage to Mecca walk around the Kaaba 7 times.
The number 7 played surprising jokes with me the other day. I am sure that if astrologers of olden times were present, they would have a field day giving this or that significance to the number. It was January 7, a Tuesday. My lady Carmen, invited her former University of San Carlos high school classmates to break bread with us. There were 14 who came. January and Tuesday have 7 letters each. The complete name of Carmen’s alma mater has 21 letters, or 3 7s, and the 14 classmates are mathematically speaking, 2 7s.
On January 7, Baguio City Benjamin Banez Magalong (21 letter-name or 3 7s) was the guest of the podcast of Christian Esgyerra’s Facts First. The podcaster declared the mayor as the first whistle-blower (14 letters plus the hyphen) of the corrupt-laden 777 enticement of Speaker Martin Romualdez. 777, as a number, is not new to many old timers like me. We do remember that when the late Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was president, his yatch was RPS 777.
What is 777, according to Mayor Magalong? I sensed that the mayor tried his best to sound less combative. His revelation was couched in somewhat diplomatic manner. But, he did not mince his words in saying that 777 is the number attached to congressmen who, in the last quarter of 2024, went with Speaker Romualdez in his travels around the country. Each of the traveling companions was rewarded with three 7s to correspond to three dole out programs of three government, namely AKAP, AICS and TAPAT. To the smile of every legislator, each program carried a hefty budget of 7 million pesos or a total of P21 million.
I wrote about AKAP in my last column. In my article, I said, rather innocently, that the AKAP or AYUDA PARA SA KAPOS ANG KITA PROGRAM was a relevant social project with billions of pesos given to the millions of us Filipinos who are not earning enough. I even stated that the way it was labeled, projected the sublime purpose of AKAP which was supposedly to alleviate the plight of minimum-wage earners affected by the high prices of basic commodities. I had to wonder why no peso of the allocation went my way. I was wrong.
The Baguio City mayor talked about political patronage. The AKAP funds, apparently like the AICS and TAPAT, were distributed to the political cavalry men of congressmen. Many recipients of the fund were identified as front line leaders of the lawmakers who could not meet the minimum standard of earning insufficiently. They were not low income earners. What disturbing proof did the mayor have? He cited the fact that there were no guidelines that would establish who could become beneficiaries. The Malacañang announcement to the effect the DSWD, DOLE and NEDA are to write the guidelines before the fresh AKSP would be released clearly showed that the 2024 AKAP funds were given to unclear, perhaps, unintended beneficiaries.
Mayor Magalong was a most credible whistle-blower, (a fourteen-digit word including the hyphen). His was a startling exposure on corruption. My uneducated numerology says the mayor was unaware that number 7 figured much the other day.