Two days ago, we heard the news about the alleged taking down of yellow posters inside a mall owned by Senator Manny Villar. Fellow Senator Rodolfo Biazon claimed that he strung up a few posters of presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino at the Metropolis Alabang mall. However these paraphernalia were brought down and the stall's staff owned by Sen. Biazon were 'kicked out' by the mall security. Currently, an investigation is being conducted by the Nacionalista Party to verify the incident.
If this is indeed true and it really happened, then the Senator Biazon's personnel were quite ignorant of the fact that the mall was predominantly and literally covered with orange--their arch rival's colors. What on earth would make them hang those yellow posters on enemy territory? Are they out of their minds? That would be like the Nazi German Army putting up a military base near Washington DC, during the Second World War. The results would be obvious. Of course, the Americans would not just be pissed. They wouldn't even let a single German plane, tank or soldier hover over American soil. They would even shoot down the Nazi builders before they even construct their base. That would be like a Lasallite walking into an Ateneo bench tambayan and him taunting a random person. Bad things happen, my friend.
Yes, this country is a democracy. But this is the last two minutes of the Electoral period, and any aggressive or provoking act by one party may result in an unpleasant reaction by the other. Things get very sensitive during these times.
The problem is, Sen. Biazon and Co. probably knew that the building was orange. They were indeed looking for trouble and hoping that they would make the headlines by flopping and acting like they were the ones who were 'mistreated.' Sure, there is no law on restricting them to not to advertise their posters on enemy ground but at least they should have had some common sense in them, that this could indeed be potential trouble.
But it stays the same. Sen. Biazon was wrong. He thought he could get away with this.
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Below is a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer's article about the incident.
Villar’s ‘orange’ mall sees red in yellow ribbons
MANILA, Philippines--The “orange” camp sees red in the color yellow.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon Saturday found that out for himself.
The color yellow of his presidential candidate, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, was not welcome in a mall owned by Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar in Muntinlupa City.
A yellow streamer of Aquino’s was displayed in a space Biazon was renting in Metropolis, a mall owned by Villar.
The senator said mall personnel not only took down the yellow streamer bearing the tandem of Aquino and running mate Sen. Mar Roxas, his staff was also kicked out of the premises.
Mall personnel also removed the yellow ribbons and flowers adorning the space of Biazon’s next door neighbor and replaced them with decorations in orange—the campaign color of Villar.
NP still verifying incident
At press time, the Nacionalista Party was in the process of verifying the alleged incident, said the NP secretariat.
“They came like the Gestapo,” said Biazon, former Armed Forces chief of staff, referring to Adolf Hitler’s secret police that used terrorist methods against people suspected of disloyalty during World War II.
Biazon is running for representative in the lone district of Muntinlupa under the LP. His staff has been holding voter’s education and training programs for poll watchers in the rented space in the mall since last week.
‘They kicked us out’
On Saturday, the training program was canceled after mall personnel “kicked us out” of the premises, the senator said.
He said the mall personnel also canceled their space rental contract.
“We paid for the place. They have no business doing that,” said Biazon, adding that he planned to “take action” but he would first consult his son, Rep. Ruffy Biazon, who is running for senator in the LP party.
Apparently, Biazon’s space was not the mall’s only object of attention.
The senator said he was a guest speaker during Saturday’s graduation rites of five Muntinlupa-based day care centers that was held next door to his office in the same mall.
Yellow to orange
Just before he arrived, Biazon said mall personnel came and took down all the yellow ribbons and flowers adorning the stage and replaced them with trimmings in the color orange.
“But not all the decorations were yellow. There were some in green and blue,” the senator said.
Day care center officials were aghast.
Biazon said his heart went out to the teachers who decorated the stage to make it special for the kids.
“They’re acting as if the owner [of the mall] is the president of the republic,” scoffed Biazon, saying that even if Villar was president, his men “had no right to do that.” With a report from Michael Lim Ubac
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