Six scandals; Six videos, anyone?

Yes, it’s a pun and definitely not Bisaya-ish (and I hope the Bisayas wouldn’t mind). For the past days, we’ve been bombarded with – what else -- scandals. And videos. Of the sexual kind, of the celebrity kind. Of the really dirty kind. You all know what these scandals are and you all have found yourselves -- ano pa nga ba – scandalized.

Hereunder are six of these scandals:

6. Whatchayoucallit? Video-by-Hayden-Cam-of-Hurricane-Katrina-in-Action-Exposed? GMA network calls it the Hayden Cam Scandal; entries in Youtube call it the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili Sex Video Scandal; some call it the Hayden Kho Sex Video Series; still others call it the Hayden Kho Sex Video Diary. What can one say? It’s the current talk of the nation, from the night owls of the metropolis to the crickets of the boondocks. The Senate, with actor Ramon “Bong” Revilla at the lead cast, is “acting” on it; The Department Store of Justice, with the flamboyant Raul Gonzales at the helm, is onto what they do best – explore and utilize injustice; the NBI, the PRC, women’s groups like Gabriela, even Malacanang, are on it, too. On top of that, the media networks and share-ware media in the cyberspace, blogs included, are on it like vultures circling over a corpse. And now, this blog … Ouch.

Who hasn’t seen the video/s? DVD copies are enjoying brisk sales with our politicians no less as the first takers. Senator Revilla says he’d seen three videos among what he claims he knows to be more than forty. Even Press Secretary Cerge Remonde has flaunted that he and his staff have seen the video and were even entertained – repeat: ENTERTAINED -- by it. Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III proclaimed he watched it for “educational reasons” (Anyone knows the educational background of Sec. Bello?). The Optical and Media Board has called on the people to stop patronizing the pirates and to refrain from buying the video and threatened to arrest and hail to court those who would. Will they start with Senator Revilla, Remonde and Bello? Meanwhile, congressmen are said to secretly envy Hayden Kho for the latter's sexual exploits. And the nation awaits with bated breath the next installments in the video series – those of Vicky Belo and who knows who else (it may be someone you very well know). Get ready to be shocked, and if you aren’t numb yet, to be really scandalized to the bones.

5. H1N1 virus, also known as Swine flu, reaching the Philippine shores as silently as Silent Night. The day after its arrival was announced, the news appeared only at the left ear of the country’s leading daily, meriting a very short report. Why? Well, because everyone was sooo stuck with the Belo-Boy-Toy-with-the-Hayden-Cam issue which not surprisingly drowned other issues of national concern and monopolized the headlines for several days.

4. Former President Joseph “Erap” “Estrada” Ejercito insists that he can run for president again. Brandishing a study made by his team of legal perverts – one is actually tempted to say they are the legal equivalents of one Hayden Kho – the actor-turned-president-turned-convicted-plunderer and later on pardoned by the Philippine’s most unpopular and allegedly most corrupt president proclaims himself a presidentiable for 2010.

3. A Navy Lieutenant exposes military officials of pocketing millions in RP-US Balikatan exercises and gets sued and hunted in return. Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian, accused retired Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, chief of Western Mindanao Command, of pocketing over P40 M in funds intended for RP-US Balikatan exercises in 2007 and soon finds herself sued for insubordination and lavish spending in the ESB. She receives death threats and is now in hiding.

2. Former Senate President and current presidentiable Manny Villar being investigated no less than by his peers in the Senate for the P200-million insertion in 2008 budget. Villar and his apologists claim that the insertion was scrutinized and approved by the Senate in the plenary. It was approved in the Bicameral Conference, too. Finally, the Bicam report was sent back to the Senate and was signed by most of the senators, the other presidentiables including, and was thereby approved and ratified. Now, the other presidentiables, in an obvious effort to bamboozle Villar’s chances at the presidency, are complaining it is illegal.

1. Our own mortal tendency towards scandals. Why are we naturally so inclined towards news about human folly? Why are we naturally so inclined towards scandals, especially of the sexual kind? Humans that we are, that fact still is most of the times, just scandalous.

Now, as mentioned, we’ve been seeing videos that have scandalized us lately. But why scan cyberspace for vandals, for those who cause scandals? Scandals are best left on their own and their perpetrators to suffer for their own misdeeds. Why not promote ordinary things done extraordinarily, simple accomplishments achieved heroically, some larger-than-life achievements? Why not some videos that uplift our collective spirit, our nationalistic spirit for that matter? Why not some videos that inspire, that make us wanting to do good, that awaken our virtues and heroic tendencies? There are a lot to be sure. And so I dare ask:

Anyone?