By today’s standards, of course, the green and white "cottage" that I remember was merely a comfortable larger-than-average house. It didn’t have floors of Carara marble or handrails of Mother of Pearl nor was it decorated by a well-known designer with everything imported from abroad. It was certainly a very unpretentious house.

Sometime during the Marcos years it was rumored to have been bought by then first lady Imelda Marcos and Gerald Wilkinson’s house (another simple green and white cottage in that distinctly Baguio style) that stood nearby was torn down and a humongous Dasmariñas/Forbes Park village type house took its place. Imee Marcos supposedly took over the Fairchild house.

Alas and alack and bad luck to us when the Marcoses left. The properties were sequestered and placed with the PCGG presumably "in trust" for the Filipino people. When we saw it last year the garden was completely overgrown, the houses literally rotting; furniture, bathroom fixtures, ovens, refrigerators and lights – you name it – had been looted. The wooden floors were termite-ridden, the window panes cracked. Obviously for the past twenty years there had been no maintenance and absolute neglect reigned. PCGG nominees have it seems never understood what stewardship means or much less cared even if they did.

This December, passing by the grounds although the "bantay" or the guards still had their "fighting" cocks in their pens, someone had started cleaning up, pruning the trees, removing the debris, and mowing the lawn. When we stopped at the gate we were asked if we were from San Miguel Corporation and I asked whether Mr. Cojuangco had bought it. In effect had PCGG sold it?

Let me make myself very clear. It’s probably a good thing Mr. Cojuangco or San Miguel or someone has bought it that cares enough to maintain it. But the question begs to be asked: If the property was sequestered in the name of the Filipino people and if indeed the property was sold, how come we know nothing about it? Was it a negotiated sale or was there bidding? How much was it sold for and where is the money?

The next question is even more vexing. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile began to question the PCGG late last year and then stopped. But during the last twenty years I have not heard a single senator or congressman question the existence of this agency that was supposedly created to be co-terminus with ex-President Corazon Aquino. How come they’re still around and it doesn’t look like the wretched commissioners are about to disappear any time soon? Are we never ever going to get rid of them and will they forever hung around the necks of the Filipino people like Coleridge’s albatross? What a drag.

Along that same vein, since senators and congressmen are supposedly there to protect our interests, has anyone of them asked the PCGG for an accounting? You realize that Filipinos haven’t a clue as to what companies or properties were sequestered and what happened to them. Sure you hear whispers but no one’s really talking. You may remember that Meralco and Mantrade went back to their original owners without the slightest fuss or protest unlike San Miguel or United Planters Coconut Bank that as far as we know remain part of PCGG. Some idiot said the farmers’ interests were being protected. Yeah, sure.

The patience of the Filipino, his lack of awareness with regards to his rights is truly amazing. In case anyone is wondering why it’s so difficult to amass a crowd even with pay is simply that the old adage holds – you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all the time. Whether the crowd is pro or con, it’s all vested interests at work.

Which brings us to the other annoying question: If the senators and congressmen are perceived as not protecting our interests – why should we chose a parliamentary form of government where these same people will be more difficult to change? Although truth to tell if it’s not them it’s their wives or their sons or daughters or brothers or some relative. And to think these same people accused that old reprobate Marcos of creating a dynasty. Too bad we lack a sense of irony; this is hilarious and they don’t even realize it. Of course the joke is on us idiot Pinoys.

Two last disquieting questions and you can add your grievances any time by emailing me (bambiharper@yahoo.com) after this: Is the VFA an international agreement that we signed and if it is why are we protesting the release of Private Smith into the US Embassy’s custody if that was part of it? How many of the people leading the protests are sincere and how many are merely exploiting it for political reasons?