But how the once and mighty can fall. These days, Lumauig’s charm is reduced to restoring what was once a favorable concession granted to the Via Bellagio Bar and Restaurant owned by his daughter Gina. Operating since November 2002, the place has catered almost exclusively to patrons of the Casino Filipino Airport and has had a lucrative run with almost all of its revenues derived from the signing privileges of casino patrons. Since even gamblers have to eat and drink while sitting at the table, you can bet it is a worthwhile enterprise since the bills are shouldered by the Philippine Games and Amusement Corp. (Pagcor) that runs the airport casino.

Of course, nothing lasts forever especially if you’re on a three-year contract. And, when that contract did come to a close, the Pagcor simply declined to renew. And that was the start of Gina Lumauig’s problems to which her father was forced to intervene to no avail. All that the Lumauigs could come up with in the mediation table was a six-month postponement of the inevitable. I do believe that Pagcor management is well within its rights not to renew Via Bellagio’s contract.

But the outcome should come as no surprise at all since the elder Lumauig is not the trusted soldier of the ruling bloc that he once was. He has a lot to answer for in the eyes of the current administration, even granting it is not a vindictive one.

First was Lumauig’s foray into the "other side" of the political fence when he jumped ship into the camp of the late Sen. Raul Roco when the latter ran for the presidency. In one of his most memorable broadsides against the current Palace occupant, Lumauig urged her to quit: "Concerned national and church leaders should now help convince (President Arroyo) to quit her presidential bid in favor of Roco," adding it would be a "wise and pragmatic decision." The struggling economy, the climate of extreme political division, the record in level budgetary deficit and the mass disenchantment at ground level have all but drowned her claim that she has competence and experience," Lumauig also said.

Of course, defecting to the Roco camp was not the least of Lumauig’s "sins" in the eyes of the current dispensation. Lumauig also figured in the Christian Nationalist Union-Coalition for National Solidarity (CNU-CNS) of retired Gen. Fortunato Abad who was subsequently charged with trying to topple down the current administration.

Lumauig served as a CNU-CNS director and spokesma the United States representatives" and making a pitch for the "constitutional inspiration" of their plan to replace "a government for national survival, which is clearly just a transitional body to replace a dysfunctional government."

The bad after-taste left by those scathing remarks were apparently not enough to offset the fact that Lumauig would later go back into the administration fold to once again become one of its rah-rah boys.

It is both sad and humorous that all those past high and mighty rhetoric against the "dysfunctional government" was reduced to do business at the casino.

Gaming remains to be one of the proven bright spots in the country’s economy. Its detractors can say what they like but Pagcor will continue to rake in the revenues. And, since foreign high-rollers generally like to gamble as soon they get off the plane, the airport casino will continue to be the Pagcor’s flagship operation. All is well except for the Lumauigs. It takes the mental discipline of a Shaolin monk not to relish the thought.