Philippine Business Today

If the controversy on electric power rates maintains its current direction, it will end up being a show business affair.

The showbiz flavor to the controversy started with actress Judy Ann Santos’ pitch for the Manila Electric Co.’s definition of systems losses. Santos’ advertorial drew the ire of the Government Service Insurance System and its allies. She must be feeling the heat of the backlash against her pro-Meralco pitch.

And the backlash is probably more painful than the slaps in the face she used to get from on-screen rival Gladys Reyes.

Victims against Crime and Corruption Dante Jimenez has threatened to call for a boycott of Santos’ shows and endorsed products. There was also a threat to haul the actress before the Advertising Board and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Recently, her most rabid critic has been the president of Nasecore, a “consumer group” led by Pete Ilagan. Ilagan has been interviewed by many times over radio, including our daily talk show “Karambola” at dwIZ. Ilagan has been criticizing Santos bitterly, short of calling her names in the aftermath of her now-famous melting-ice analogy to explain systems losses.

More recently, GSIS president Winston Garcia hinted that his camp would tap another celebrity to counter Santos’ advertorial. Immediately, the rumor mill pointed to world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao as the possible GSIS mouthpiece. Garcia may have to wait for Pacman to knock out David Diaz later this month before GSIS produces that knock-out punch of an advertorial against Juday.

Levity aside, one cannot be but worried about the apparent all-out effort to vilify Santos in relation to the Meralco advertorial. I am not a fan of Santos nor of Meralco, but it must be said that vilifying the actress could have an effect opposite to what her horde of detractors expects.

Worse, the debate on the power sector issues runs the serious risk of being buried in the din of a looming show business atmosphere in the controversy.

The VACC and Nasecore need to be advised that the public threats they are airing against Santos are raising questions in the people’s mind. Jimenez and Ilagan sound like they are ganging up on the fragile actress.

The question is, are they afraid that people actually believe Santos? Is their expression of rabid anger an attempt at masking a fear that the public might actually believe her?

The view is that if Jimenez and Ilagan actually don’t think Santos could credibly explain the concept of systems loss, they would simply dismiss the advertorial. Their assault on the hapless screen idol gives some hint that they believe she is effective in what she is doing.

The other question is this: By attempting to vilify Santos, aren’t Jimenez and Ilagan actually proposing that we deprive her of her right to free speech? Are the VACC and Nasecore threats against her an attempt at “silencing” her?

Now, there are also some quarters who actually believe that the VACC and Nasecore are merely “riders” on the Judy Ann Santos controversy. Some people actually don’t think that Jimenez and Ilagan believe that Santos actually conceived, planned and implemented the Meralco advertorials. Perhaps, Jimenez and Ilagan actually know she is just a talent—a professional who gets paid for what she does best: Read and act out a script.

So, are Jimenez and Ilagan actually just “shooting the messenger”?

Those who listen and read their ranting against Juday are constrained to believe so.

Perhaps they feel that there is value in the undertaking. Santos is famous and loved by her millions of fans. And fame could translate into credibility. But just like Jimenez and Ilagan, the public feels Santos is entitled to the freedom to express her view, whether or not she gets paid talent fees for doing so.

Some may disagree with the melting ice analogy. But most would agree that Santos has the right to say her piece.

That is similar to the right that Nasecore exercised when it filed that multi-million peso plunder suit against the directors of Meralco. Many believed that the charges filed by Ilagan and his group may not be standing on solid ground. But they nevertheless believe Ilagan has the right to file those charges.

Many say that Ilagan’s suit against the Meralco directors is part of the war by proxy which the GSIS boss continues to wage against the Lopezes. Unfortunately for Ilagan, the GSIS had released a press statement that it intended to file a plunder case against Meralco. The public waited for the next development, only to hear that it was Nasecore that was filing the charges instead. And the Nasecore announcement sounded exactly like the GSIS press release.

The growing perception that Ilagan is another GSIS “errand boy” is bad for the GSIS cause—and Ilagan’s, too. Some are saying that Judy Ann Santos and Pete Ilagan are doing the same job: Reading from scripts and acting out their parts.

It is difficult to demolish the impression established long ago that Ilagan is the side-kick of former Napocor president Guido Delgado who is believed to be among the key advisers of Winston Garcia in the bid to take over Meralco. Delgado was seen partying at Cebu City’s Marco Polo Hotel with Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, Winston’s sister just before the escalation of the row with the Lopezes.

At the recent Integrated Bar of the Philippines Regional Convention in Naga City, Rep. Monico Fuentebella said Ilagan’s Nasecore received some P10 million from the government to conduct “consumer education” as part of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. It seems understandable that Ilagan should take the lead in the filing of the plunder charges.

Ilagan did succeed in sending chilling signals to the business sector that the GSIS would pursue the war against Meralco till the end—whatever that ending is.

Ilagan may be taking the heat for those frightening signals. But we all understand that he is probably just doing a Judy Ann Santos. And just like Judy Ann, Pete has the right to say his piece.

< Prev