"No kidding. It did happen, at a subdivision by the lake nearby," he said, throwing an affected glance to the deacon.
"What exactly happened?" I butted in to divert his attention.
"I was there but didn't see it myself. A seriously sick man was brought to the healing mass there. He died before he could be cured. But he came back to life again after the healing priest made the sign of the cross toward where the sick man was. As the man was being loaded onto an ambulance, his heart started beating again. Then they brought him back. Then he died a gain."
"So where's the miracle?" the deacon interrupted. "Everybody dies, everybody lives. That's all there's to it in the here and now."
"But twice on the same day?" Apung Andi raised his voice.
"Even the Church is looking into it," I cautioned. "It seems even Church leaders are not convinced that the man had risen from the dead."
"Maybe some people conspired to make it look like it was another Lazarus," the deacon blurted.
"What do you mean 'conspire'?" Apung Andi asked testily.
"I sense it is part of a bigger marketing racket," he said coolly." Not just for the sake of religion but for business and politics."
"That's ridiculous!" Apung Andi replied.
"Only if you don't look beyond the obvious," the deacon quickly countered.
"Please enlighten us," I said patronizingly.
"It's an all-Capampangan conspiracy dreaming to rebuild the Kapampangan empire" he said.
"All Capampangan?"
"Let me count a few well-known. Nes Mangio, Ping De Jesus, Pung Ceto, Mong Ed, the Clark bright boys, both belligerent and benign, and, of course, the all-star cast wouldn't be complete without Tsing Glo. All guys with marketing savvy and bottom lines to take care of."
"Can't still figure out your conspiracy theory," I grumbled.
"Nes owns the lake. Ping is top honcho of the great expressways from the south to the north and soon to be SCTEX. Pung Ceto presides over an archdiocese. Mong is the most admired politician hereabouts. The Clark bright boys are outdoing each other. GMA has promises to keep before 2010, one of them Apung Dadung's "KADUANG APAG".
"Go on," I said, "I seem to catch up."
"The healing was about attracting people, create traffic. That's the bread-and-butter of philosophy religion, business or politics. You have to attract people. And what better and faster way to do that than a miracle of sorts."
"I've never seen so many sick people, rich and poor, but mostly rich," Apung Andi interjected. "Maybe 3,000 to 5,000. It reminds me of the miraculous feeding in the Bible."
"This one is larger, more impressive -- make it 15,000, according to the media," I corrected. "Really, it's all about numbers," the deacon continued.
"Imagine the huge mileage that healing shebang created for Pampanga. Now, if that can be repeated a few times more, that would put the province on the global map for investors, tourists, gamblers, politicians, sick millionaires and all. Imagine its overall impact on the economy, the GDP and KAMPI."
"Are you saying that twice-alive-, twice dead incident at the lake was just a dry-run?"
"Exactly." It's called pre-selling. Name them -- SCTEX, Clark, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport Subic, North Luzon, even Aurora combined as the new growth region for the Philippines.
There would be more, perhaps one in Clark. I can imagine heads of states, global CEOs, who knows even the Pope might come to witness the healing. The big birds would land in Clark. Hotels would be filled to the rafters. Casinos would round out of chips. Golfers will run out of holes. The more healings, the merrier.
"And that should make everybody happy all the way to the bank!" I concluded.
"Brother, you should have seen the long lines SUVs paying toll feel like crazy. Bumper to bumper, men and machines. Macdonald's outlet nearby ran out fries and burgers. Even the healing priest was could hardly breath."
"Who wouldn't be for a dead man coming back to life again?" I rebuked him.
"You ain't seen nothing, ain't heard nothing yet," he said.
"Wait," I said. "I heard DMIA would take over NAIA as the country's premier airport."
"That's all of a piece with the grand design," he said. "Expect more dead people to live again."
"I also heard that GMA was in Candaba two days ago to welcome the migratory birds."
"That's what I mean," he said. "See, even birds are coming here. Maybe GMA wants to divine the birds flight."
"Just like the augurs of ancient Rome," I said.
"Talk about the old brew of religion, politics and business in a happy mix," he said without missing a beat.
"So where do you think the next healing will be at?" Apung Andi asked after a long silence.
"Just wait for the next media announcement," he said. "You're going?"
"It's the missus," he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm 75 and she thinks miracle is what I need to get my manliness back in form and substance. She says that if that priest could bring a dead man back to life again, that aging fusillade would be a piece of cake."
"But didn't you say the man died finally after being alive for a few hours." I reminded him.
"At my age, a miracle is the only option," he replied.
"Before you do that, I suggest you watch that old Nora Aunor flick," I told him.
"Loyal Vilmanian," he shot back proudly. "What's the movie's title?"
