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That it should come to this…
O God! A beast, that wants discourse of reason,Would have mourned longer…
IN these lines of Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, despairs the events that swiftly followed on the death of his father. In rapid succession a new king came up. And a date was set for his wedding with the new queen.
It may not be that apropos, but the nine days of prayers for the dead were not even over when ambition and politics reared their heads following the funeral of the Philippines’ Mother of Democracy, President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.
It is unfair to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd and his sister Kris Aquino when their names were suddenly brought up as a force to be reckoned with in politics. Sen. Aquino cannot very well dismiss the thought offhand, himself the highest ranking Aquino in government. But said that Kris, who had in the past given intimations about entering politics, will have to make the decision herself.
The wicked speed, by which some post with dexterity to publicity, is not nor it cannot come to good. The extensive coverage given by media to the funeral gave justice to this bit of history. The newspaper reports could be compiled and put together in one special issue for historians and researchers in the future. A similar compilation was done of the reportage of The New York Times of the death and funeral of the late United States President Robert F. Kennedy in 1960.
The television coverage was unprecedented and expensive we can pass up the political ads—there is no other way we can call them—of presidentiables which kept intruding into the coverage because after all the revenue they bring in helps in sustaining the coverage.
It is unfortunate that this early, Sen. Aquino is being sicced on Sen. Francis Pangi linan in the Vice Presidential race next year. Pangilinan, this early has thrown his hat on the ring, along with several presi dentiables who are making noises at the Presidency but have their eyes on the No. 2 position.
Those who believe in the capacity of showbiz personalities to corral the votes for a candidate see a mano-a-mano encounter between megastar Sharon Cuneta, the wife of Senator Pangilinan and Kris Aquino, the sister of Noynoy.
This is not an open and shut case though. Mega star Vilma Santos can win as governor of Batangas but couldn’t carry her husband, Ralph Recto to the Senate.
Sen.Mar Roxas hopes to do better by marrying news anchor Korina Sanchez. This early, however, his campaign has been hitting some snags. Quick on the draw, his handlers thought they could earn easy brownie points by announcing that Senator Roxas would move to change the name of EDSA to Cory avenue.
Who would have been bumped off by the senator’s proposal? EDSA is the popular contraction of the original Epifanio de los Santos avenue. This was adopted by usage and not by bureaucratic fiat. But who is EDS?
De los Santos is better remembered as Don Panyong. He was a journalist and literary critic. He preside over the first writers’ club in the entresuelo of his house on Magallanes street in Intramuros. The group included Filipino literary stalwarts as Cecilio Apostol, Fernando Ma. Guerrero, Rafael Palma, Jose G. Abreu, Jaime C. de Veyra and Clemente J. Zulueta.
Don Panyong and Zulueta started the newspaper La Libertad in Malabon right after then Commodore George Dewey routed the Spanish navy on Manila Bay in 1898. Along with the members of his group, he joined the La Independencia, a newspaper organized by Gem. Antonio Luna.
There is a story told of Don Panyong that while he was working with La Independencia, he fell in love with Rosa Sevilla, a staffmember of the paper along with other young blades. He made an oil painting of Miss Sevilla as an anonymous gift to her. He wrote his signature on the back of the painting along with it, a musical piece. He asked to remove the back of the painting and revealed his name and the music. He played the piece on his guitar to the “despair of the other suitors.”
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