#Anyare: Bakit hindi na nagsalita si Tonyboy sa Barretto scandal?

MEN are generally non-talkers.

In unpleasant situations involving their women, kadalasan—if not for ethical reasons—men don’t fight words with words. We live in a matriarchal society, after all, which respects women (pero bakit may rape?).

Sa away ng mga Barretto sisters ay hindi lang nadamay ang mga kapwa nila babae. There’s businessman Atong Ang on Gretchen’s side as there’s former Caloocan City mayor Recom Echiverri on Marjorie’s.

Of the two gentlemen, tanging si Atong lang has stepped forward to clear his name as well as his personal involvement with Gretchen, Claudine and their niece Nicole. By the time this column comes out ay baka naringgan na rin si Recom ng kanyang panig on two accounts: his relationship with Marjorie na nagbunga ng isang anak and his alleged molestation kay Claudine.

If talent manager Lolit Solis had her way, hindi raw niya pahihintulutang magsalita si Atong. Aniya, had Atong kept quiet ay natapos na sana ang kuwento.

Atong couldn’t help it dahil nasaksihan niya ang pangyayari sa burol ng ama ng mga Barretto. Of course, it sound be strange to expect other witnesses like President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Bong Go or any of the PSG staff to recount the story as it happened.

Mas inaasahan pa naming magsalita was Jayjay, kapatid ng mga Barretto sisters and whose daughter Nicole figured in the scuffle. Baka rin sa paglabas ng kolum na ito’y narinig na natin ang version ni Jayjay who’s the best person to shed light kung ano nga ba ang namagitan kay Atong at sa kanyang anak.

At kung meron ding lalaking inaasahang magsasalita, ‘yun ay walang iba kundi si Mr. Tonyboy Cojuangco batay lang sa mga pahayag ng kanyang live-in partner na si Gretchen at ng kanyang casino business partner na si Atong.
But we doubt.

Tony Boy is such a busy person to squander his precious time on non-business stuff. Kung nalinaw na naman nina Atong at Gretchen separately ang kanyang kaugnayan with the persons involved, issuing corroborating statements is unnecessary.

After all, what else is there to say? It is not going to add up to anything na narinig na ng buong mundo.
But while the world sits still, hinihintay lang nito ang mas marami pang mga kaganapan in a family issue which remotely sees closure to it. Not in the near future, perhaps never.

As for Marjorie who says she’s all for reconciliation, madali kung paanong masarap itong bigkasin. Pero depende ‘yon sa babaw o lalim ng pinag-ugatang problema.

Mas nanunuot hanggang buto, the more shallow any possible reconciliation can be. Kulang sa sinseridad kundi man panandalian lang.

The origin—kung anuman ‘yon—to which the problem is traced ay nagresulta hindi lang sa pisikal o berbal na pananakit at labasan ng kanya-kanyang “maruruming damit” for all the world to hear.

It resulted in a figurative bloodshed where no peace pact may be impossible to achieve.
Talk about the new North Korea and South Korea before peace was restored.