P-Noy plays it tall, too tall
President Aquino recently said he was not as short as inadvertently reported.
“I’m not 5-6 and I’m not into it,” snapped the gangling Chief Executive.
No question about it. President Aquino is a lot taller than five-foot-six.
He’s also not into the usurious 5-6 business, poised mercilessly on hungry Pinoy vendors, backbone of the country’s underground economy, by Indian nationals prowling on motorbikes—faces hidden under bandana or kerchief—in our lawless streets.
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A more pertinent question for P-Noy should be:
Does the shoe fit?
If so, what size?
Is the leather pair to blame for his wide, uneven steps?
Is there something wrong with the footwear?
Is he marching to a different comic drummer?
What accounts for his awkward, ducky gait?
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President Aquino claims he stands 5-foot-10.
So what’s the right height for a Filipino President?
Is there a perfect measurement suited for a nation’s leader?
Does it make any difference if the President of the Philippines happens to be shorter than 5-foot-6?
We posed this last question to friends and strangers out in the street.
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“Kung pandak, malamang magaling umagaw (If short, he could be a great ball-stealer),” quipped an engaging jeepney driver.
So what did that make of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?
Jeep driver: No comment.
A thief off the basketball court?
No need to be extra short, replied the driver, in order to be a great stealer.
All in the family?
No comment.
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It’s like this:
If a basketball player, President Noynoy easily fits into the frontline.
An unforgiving attacker, if you please, as could be reflected by the blazing war he has been waging against corruption in government.
Of course, the comparison cannot be avoided.
If a cager, P-Noy is not unlike a hardcourt star who plays tall, taller than his range.
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Remember Francis Arnaiz, only 5-10 but who sizzled in both national and international tournaments as though he was over six feet?
What about the late Alberto Reynoso, 6-1, the soft-spoken, big-boned pride of Pasig who gallantly pillared many national teams in tough foreign stints?
Big Boy, a genuine national sports hero, played tall and bigger than himself—a lot harder, bloodier, too—for flag and country.
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Anyway, going by his vehemence, there’s no denying P-Noy has been playing a lot taller than 5-foot-10.
He’s doing a yeoman’s job staring corruption in the eye, doing battle with both guns blazing.
He’s so far received more than his share of accolades, including those from foreign observers.
His biggest trophy to date goes by the name of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
But, hey, there are also those who have started to wonder if P-Noy has not fallen victim to misspent exuberance.
Why should he insist on GMA’s transfer to jail from her hospital bed?
Won’t letting the former President be held in a rest house, just like Erap Estrada before, save P-Noy from being tagged a tyrant, an overacting brat of a player?
