If we are to believe Congressman Joe De Venecia’s son that COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos “asked” for the ZTE National Broadband Network contract as his “last hurrah,” one can not help but ask about the previous hurrahs.
How many hurrahs are we really talking about? When and what was his first hurrah? How many hurrahs did it take for him to afford the current lifestyle he is enjoying? How many points did these hurrahs shave off our GDP/GDP figures? In this last hurrah, Abalos was said to have offered the ZTE rival $10 million to back off. If he could offer that much in bribes, then it’s but only reasonable that he would keep as much for himself. So, were the other hurrahs just as lucrative or much less lucrative than the last one?
I’m beginning to think that Abalos speaks in code. The “sabaw” incident comes to mind. In Tagalog, “sabaw” means broth, not soup. Had he meant soup, he would have said “sopas.” But he said “sabaw” so he must be referring to broth. Now broth is just a notch higher than boiled water in the scheme of food. It’s basically boiled water with meat and bones and vegetables and seasonings and spices, with all the meat and bones and vegetables removed before serving. I do not intend to demean broth. I enjoy broth. Broth has brought countless relief to cold and flu sufferers everywhere. What’s baffling is that Abalos went inside a posh hotel just to look for “sabaw” because he was feeling dizzy (“nahihilo”) at the time. When I have a hankering for broth, I just troop to any of the countless convenience stores. If I were feeling dizzy, why would I go to a hotel, walk across a sprawling lobby, look for a restaurant where the foreign chef is most likely to say “Huh?” as I say, “I’m looking for ‘sabaw.’ Do you have ‘sabaw.’ May I have some ‘sabaw’?”
The bizarre way Abalos explained the embarrassing situation just did not make sense. Unless, that is, if the terms “nahihilo” and “sabaw” have acquired different meanings in his vocabulary.
For those who do not know who Benjamin Abalos is, he’s the one being driven around a COMELEC vehicle with a bumper sticker which says “Sabaw ng ZTE.”
How many hurrahs are we really talking about? When and what was his first hurrah? How many hurrahs did it take for him to afford the current lifestyle he is enjoying? How many points did these hurrahs shave off our GDP/GDP figures? In this last hurrah, Abalos was said to have offered the ZTE rival $10 million to back off. If he could offer that much in bribes, then it’s but only reasonable that he would keep as much for himself. So, were the other hurrahs just as lucrative or much less lucrative than the last one?
I’m beginning to think that Abalos speaks in code. The “sabaw” incident comes to mind. In Tagalog, “sabaw” means broth, not soup. Had he meant soup, he would have said “sopas.” But he said “sabaw” so he must be referring to broth. Now broth is just a notch higher than boiled water in the scheme of food. It’s basically boiled water with meat and bones and vegetables and seasonings and spices, with all the meat and bones and vegetables removed before serving. I do not intend to demean broth. I enjoy broth. Broth has brought countless relief to cold and flu sufferers everywhere. What’s baffling is that Abalos went inside a posh hotel just to look for “sabaw” because he was feeling dizzy (“nahihilo”) at the time. When I have a hankering for broth, I just troop to any of the countless convenience stores. If I were feeling dizzy, why would I go to a hotel, walk across a sprawling lobby, look for a restaurant where the foreign chef is most likely to say “Huh?” as I say, “I’m looking for ‘sabaw.’ Do you have ‘sabaw.’ May I have some ‘sabaw’?”
The bizarre way Abalos explained the embarrassing situation just did not make sense. Unless, that is, if the terms “nahihilo” and “sabaw” have acquired different meanings in his vocabulary.
For those who do not know who Benjamin Abalos is, he’s the one being driven around a COMELEC vehicle with a bumper sticker which says “Sabaw ng ZTE.”
No comments:
Post a Comment