“If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”

This atrocious piece of advice has been attributed to the late Raul Manglapus, foreign secretary, senator, presidential candidate and anti-Marcos activist during the years of martial law. But according to the book, “Idiots, Hypocrites, Demagogues, and More Idiots – Not-so-great Moments in Modern American Politics,” by Paul Slansky, this was actually first mouthed in 1990 by Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams.

At any rate, regardless of who bears the onus for this questionable quote, we are now being made to accept it as a harsh reality in this election campaign.

We are being screwed.

My late boss, Tony de Joya, once likened politicians to condoms – they give you a feeling of security while you’re being screwed. Well, in this election campaign, they’re not even using virtual rubbers. We are being screwed in the open, unabashedly, for all to see. And they’re daring a population of 90 million to do something about it. Apparently, they think this is a population of 90 million cowards.

You don’t believe it? Well, guess who’s running for governor of Capiz. Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante. You don’t remember him?

Here’s a report filed by GMANews: “The Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food, and Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) have concluded that agricultural funds intended for farmers were diverted by then Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn ‘Joc-joc’ Bolante for Arroyo’s 2004 electoral campaign. Evading further investigation and possible criminal charges, Bolante fled to the United States. His appeal for asylum has been denied by US authorities.”

Bolante was jailed in the US, then deported to the Philippines where he went through a zarzuela in the Senate, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (to paraphrase Macbeth). In other words, Bolante was allowed to get away with it. And now he’s running for governor of his home province.

Here’s what Malaya columnist Lito Banayo has to report: “And in Capiz, why, Joc Joc Bolante, the ‘genius’ who sold bottled water with a spoonful of urea, packaged it as foliar fertilizer, and sold the useless concoction at a 1,500 percent overprice to the Department of Agriculture where he was the most trusted undersecretary with a direct line to the Palace, mismo, is running for governor. He is the Nacionalista Party candidate, and his propaganda tarps proclaim Money Villarroyo as his president!”

And speaking of Money Villarroyo – which appears to be the new nickname of Naconalista presidential candidate Manny Villar - here is a man who is literally buying his way to the presidency of the Philippines.

That, by itself, is a problem. Despite all his protestations that he has no intentions of recouping his investments if he should assume the most powerful position in the land, his track record belies that.

One of his staunchest defenders at present, Senator Joker Arroyo, in a privilege speech delivered on August 17, 1998, accused Villar of violating the Constitution and breaking the law.

Said Arroyo: “Low cost housing is totally dependent on government agencies such as PAG-IBIG, National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), SSS, GSIS, and other government financial institutions.

“Speaker Villar and the companies of which he is President or Chairman, or where he has a controlling interest, are the biggest low-cost housing developers in the country. To be more specific, it is the Camella and Palmera Homes and its principal subsidiaries, the Household Development Corporation and Palmera and Communities Philippines.

“In violation of the constitutional injunction, these companies were given financial accommodations by government banks or financial institutions, among them, PAG-IBIG and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation among others, during Speaker Villar’s term as Representative from 1992 to 1998 to finance their business purposes.”

But, surprise of surprises, Joker Arroyo sided with Villar when the Senate Committee of the Whole, headed by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, submitted its findings on the C5 scandal and recommended a censure of Villar.

Twelve senators signed “Resolution No. 706 entitled, ‘Resolution directing the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the conduct of Senate President Manuel B. Villar, Jr. for using his position of power to influence public officials in relocating the C-5 road extension project to deliberately pass thru his properties, and to negotiate the overpriced purchase of road rights of way thru several properties also owned by his corporations redounding in huge personal financial benefits for him to the detriment of the Filipino people, thereby resulting in blatant conflict of interest.”

Villar has refused to face his Senate colleagues to answer these damning charges. And he would have us believe that he will not use his position as president – if he wins – to recoup the billions of pesos in campaign investments? Yeah, ok. And, by the way, the Pope is a Protestant, to quote Winnie Monsod.

So, where else are we being screwed?

Anyone who says that one rotten apple can spoil the good apples in a basket, should check out the roster of candidates in these year’s elections. Bolante isn’t the only rotten apple. This is a case of several worm-infested fruits overpowering the few good ones.
The roster of candidates of the various political parties make no sense as far as ideology or principles or platforms are concerned. In fact, ideology, principles and platforms don’t count at all. Serious, respectable candidates are lumped along with crooks, leftists, hustlers and idiots, and ranged against idealists, opportunists and the just-plain-naïve.

The winners will, of course, be those with plenty of money to pass around and those with high name recognition despite low-to-nothing performance.

And then there’s the psy-war tactic being employed to prepare the citizenry for a “failure of elections.” Those media dispatches are not happening by accident. They are being planted by some very vicious manipulators who apparently believe that they are dealing with a population of 90 million cowards who are nincompoops, to boot.

But the biggest instance of the country being screwed is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo running for congress and, this early, preparing our minds to accept her inevitable assumption of the office of Speaker of the House.

Yeah. Maybe, they’re right. Maybe we’re a population of 90 million cowards and nincompoops. Hey, if the rape is inevitable anyway, you might as well relax and enjoy it.

(gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)