Polibiz
Goodbye James
Ilonggo philantropist Don Jaime "James" Torres had finally succumbed to a massive heart attack at eight in the morning, Monday, March 6, 2006 with all his kins present at his deathbed in St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City.
James consistently ran for a congressional seat in the first district of Iloilo since the mid-90s. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to win in a battle perceived to have been long perfected by the Garins. Politics is the way of life for the Garins. They breathe and exhaled it. Like blood, it runs in their veins and perhaps will remain to do so for a lifetime. Sometimes it serves like an aphrodisiac for the patriarch. Keeping the political dynasty intact as ever becomes their bastion of power.
Back to James. It's a pity, that this good man started on the wrong foot when he joined the political arena in the first district. He was completely a stranger to the land of his own birth.
First and foremost he was not really aware of the kind of values and culture his provincemates are inherent of. Selling their souls in exchange for a few pieces of silver is a habit they find hard to resist. Strangely though, such habit occurs only during election period, but, majority of the electorate residing in the town of Oton have never been submissive to a tyrant.
Personalities of questionable characters surrounding James have definitely contributed a major factor to his political defeat. They may have the good intention to help him for his quest to serve the people especially the poor, but the motives of helping him out is another story. Most of the time they come like a troop of beehives purposely not to suck nectars from the buds but to divest the man out of his generosity.
Even the choice of media practitioners tagging along with him out in a campaign trail, James is not that discriminating at all. It's enough for him to see his photo occupying the front page with or without a complimentary story. He doesn't even bother to question the paper's frequency of release and its acceptability to the community.
Apparently, James ended up a victim of extortions if not blackmails by unscrupulous self-proclaimed publishers of rubbish papers even unfit for wiping someone's behind.
These people found in the Capitol of the Future as their remaining solace to hunt potential victims. They are still lucky because they found a bloated ally willing to extend an act of bribery in exchange for a mutual scratching of their backs.
With the demise of James, a big part of their hacking business is seriously affected.
I believe though, the passing of Don Jaime "James" Torres will not result into a bleak scenario in the first district. For always no matter how stormy and dim-looking the horizon is, an impending brightness and tranquility is just behind, waiting for the right moment to come out.
Just like Nicolas and Alexandra of Russia, our very own Ferdinand and Imelda, the two unfamous couples in world history never did expect their length of supremacy would come to an end. Unknown to them, God unleashes His fury to take revenge for the oppressed without warning. Sometimes it comes too soon lest we expect, or may take awhile, giving the sinners to repent for good.
With this piece, I hope James' passing will not be in vain, as I bid him goodbye...