Thursday, July 13, 2006
Ledesma: Misfortunes of de Villa
By Jun Ledesma
Sunbursts
RENE de Villa, a brilliant Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadet who is not one of the favorite boys of Marcos, became chief of the Philippine National Police long after the dictator was ousted from Malacañang.
Even then he seemed to be hounded with misfortunes. His career as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is better (or bitter?) remembered with his indecision to deal tough with the rogue policeman Rizal Alih who held hostage and finally killed General Bautista right inside the command headquarters in Kawakawa, Zamboanga City.
His "teka teka!" (Wait a minute, wait a minute!) order aired all over the nation left an indelible mark in the career of de Villa. The notorious Alih did not only waste the life of a general he also put to shame the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines command when he slipped through the police cordon. The indecision stuck like a curse that it proved devastating when he ran for president in 1998, even after then outgoing President Fidel V. Ramos anointed Joe de Venecia over him. It was the election with an all star cast also in the running for president-Joseph Estrada, Miriam Santiago, Raul Roco, Juan Ponce Enrile, Imelda Marcos, Manuel Morata and Santiago Dumlao.
Fast forward to the time when Gloria Arroyo was installed as President in that tumultuous Edsa 2: As part of the concession to Ramos then perceived to still have clout in the military and political sectors as former president, private citizen de Villa was appointed Executive Secretary. He seemed to enjoy his post except that this was short-lived as he was advised to have a heart bypass operation. The position could not wait for his return.
In recent turn of events, Rene de Villa is suddenly found among the cabal plotting against Arroyo. I do not exactly know the reasons why except for a wild guess that he resented not being able to get back his post or that there was no more room in the inn so to speak.
Not contented with just being a small player in the political arena, he is now trying to revived his own party -- Reporma and started recruiting -- I hate to say this "political sinkers and political has beens". He also had his own political credo in his recruitment: "equity of the loyal first." Well, he has some very capable people like our own Bobot Sebastian, but given de Villa's inexperience in the murky political arena and the severe lack of money to run a political machinery, the boys were left alone in the battle field to eke out campaign funds for themselves. That was tragic, yet Rene never learned.
In the last presidential elections, he distanced himself farther from Arroyo and supported Raul Roco. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact I think he was able to get his bearing back on the right track. But Fates are not with him for Roco has to bow out after his prostate cancer was diagnosed to have become malignant.
By then Rene de Villa should have learned the politics is not for him. But it looks like politics is the only industry that he wants to invest the best years of his life. And now he is in deep sh-- with Roy Seneres, the deep throat that the opposition and the anti-Arroyo plotters ought not to have but are with them like barnacle.
I sympathize with de Villa. I heard so much about his brilliance in the Academy he could have served in other capacities outside of Executive Secretary but all that is water under the bridge now. Sayang!
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 13, 2006 issue)
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