Loyalty that swings like a pendulum

There he goes again. The former “Palace Pinocchio” and now senatorial wannabe Harry Roque never ceases to amaze us. His loyalty swings like a pendulum. No wonder no political party was comfortable with the idea of “adopting” him to be part of their senatorial slate. He was an orphan desperately looking for a home, until the Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.-Sara Duterte tandem took pity and embraced him.

Roque seemed smug but perhaps crying in the inside: “Wala namang ibang partido na nag-offer na i-adopt ako. Tanging sila lang…” Try as he probably did to project the idea that it was the other parties’ loss for not having him on their side, no one really gave a hoot.

The reason perhaps that Marcos Jr. is happy to have him by his side is the possible use he can make of him in his presidential bid, which is struggling with the gruesome human rights violations and many other atrocities his father’s regime had inflicted on this nation. Sure enough, we have already witnessed how fast Roque, a former human rights lawyer, could pivot 180 degrees on his earlier denunciation of the Marcos family’s regime of murder and mayhem. Now he says Marcos Jr. was “only 15 years old” and innocent at that time!

News flash for Roque: Marcos Jr. was no longer a clueless and callow youth but someone way above legal age when his father pillaged, plundered, and brutalized the whole nation. He was in fact already a reserve in the Philippine Army and an elected public official in his home province. Up to the last days of his father’s reign, he stood by him in full military uniform as if ready to do battle with the Edsa protesters who were bidding them good riddance.

But here’s the scenario to watch out for: President Duterte is no longer very fond of Marcos Jr., for reasons he only knows. He has tried to sabotage Marcos Jr.’s campaign by alluding to him as a drug user and a “spoiled child” and “weak leader” unworthy to succeed him (as if his own misrule was such a hard act to follow). He seems hell-bent on campaigning against him. What’s Roque now going to do? Attack his old boss who has abandoned him, and defend his new boss who is now coddling him? Would that be a surprise to anyone?

CARMELA N. NOBLEJAS
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