Commedia De Lima

The events of President Duterte’s war on drugs that are unfolding daily have our country and even the world’s news agencies transfixed. The Philippines has become the stage for a gripping performance of Commedia De Lima. This is loosely based on one of the oldest and most influential styles in theatre, the Commedia Dell’Arte (CDA) which traditionally translates as comedy of the professionals. This improvisational comedy gave birth to vaudeville and the Punch and Judy show, not unlike our very own Panchito and Dolphy.

“This colorful and extremely theatrical art form is based on the interaction of traditional stock characters in improvised scenarios that facilitate a comic plot to arrive at a humorous climax.” (http://shane-arts.com/commedia-history.htm)

In the same manner, the Commedia De Lima is the interaction of traditional politicians using improvised facts and testimonies that facilitate a comical but nonetheless diabolical plot to destabilize the Duterte administration. The theatrics mounted in the halls of the Senate led by the recently deposed chairwoman of the Committee on Justice, let us see the similarities between some of the characters of these two types of comedy.

La Signora (the Mistress of the house)

She is the embodiment of the power-grabbing and social-climbing mistress. Traditionally,es she is depicted as ostentatiously dressed i.e. her jewels, her clothes, her hair, her make-up are akin to Rizal’s very own Doña Victorina de Espadaña.

Today’s La Signora is just as feisty and ignoble. From electoral lawyer to chairperson of the CHR to SoJ all the way to the senate, she has clawed her way up the socio-political ladder leaving a trail of successes for personal profit and unresolved governmental irresponsibilities. Her main contribution as Secretary of Justice was to improve the economic gains of the drug industry as they migrated operations into the ‘bilibid’ prison which was under her.

She imposes her presence in every eye and lens available. Every word she utters, every note she sings and every time her hip gyrates are within view of the public. This tactic has worked well in masking the irregularities in her activities. Who will notice that the senate was unaware of the witness Matobato prior to his arrival in the session, but the New York Times had an exclusive with him days in advance? Who will observe that she is acting as his lawyer when she is tearing up in front of another camera supposedly due to the deluge of hate texts she has received and shared with mainstream media? Who will focus on verifying whether the kingpin of the ‘bilibid’ prison is indeed a government asset when she steals the spotlight by attacking the president in another media report? And these are always, always in front of the camera.

Inamorata (the Lover)

She enters the political stage a married woman not unlike Columbina from CDA. She worked with her husband in her master’s house. Shortly thereafter we learn that she has legally cast off her spouse and little else was known of her romantic comings and goings until recently. Under the anti-drug and anti-corruption campaign of the new government, we hear of four men who are intimately associated with her. It seems that with each promotion came a new tryst. Allegedly as her aspirations grew, so did her appetite for power and attention both in public and in private. Every notch in the belt had a commensurate one in the bedpost.

At the height of the president’s naming and shaming move, the names of the men were released to the public as they were her links to the drug trade. She has retaliated with press conferences that belied her involvement in the drug trade but not with the men.

It appears as though this goes beyond a straight up business proposition. It has become embroiled with the indecent. But, who doesn’t want to mix business and pleasure when it so readily presents itself. Working in close quarters with two of them in her capacity as a government official, she was powerless to resist the urge. The earthy flavor and constitution of these men perhaps became too much to resist. On the other hand, one is an altogether different temptation. The quintessential bad boy-he is someone she would never introduce to her parents. But what a story it will be for when her grandchildren grow up. Granny was all about sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Trillanes as Il Capitano (the Captain)

Tradition tells us that this character is a military officer who is a coward. He usually wears a worn out uniform-frayed, missing some buttons and pieces that symbolize how his once virtuous life has fallen into ruin. He is known to make loud boasts that jab and incense others but shrink when confronted. Today’s Il Capitano is an almost exact likeness as the one from CDA tradition. He wears a mask, makes arrogant postures but cowers in the end. Twice he claimed to be willing to die for his beliefs during failed coup attempts where he ultimately surrendered. In May, he made a public spectacle of himself by casting aspersions on Mayor Duterte’s BPI accounts. After all his accusations were contradicted by bank records, he quietly left for Hawaii. A few days ago, he attempted to bully a fellow senator in the halls of the senate while on national tv. He quickly faced an onslaught of attacks from more ethical senators and PMA alumni. This prompted him to apologize from fear of further backlash.

Much of the comedy come from the conflicts among these personalities. Their inconsistent statements and doublespeak woven into their physical actions are then featured prominently by the lights provided by the mainstream media. It is a spectacle to behold, “full of sound and fury.”

What is troubling is that the Commedia De Lima is masterfully crafted by an unknown creator. We all see the players but we never its maker.

It is indeed a comedy of professionals-legislators, judges, academicians, clergy, and civil servants, economists and professional criminals. It is passionate, irksome and funny. It breaks the tedium of everyday life. The problem is that this is our reality. And this time the chaos which typically ends it may not be something we will have the heart to laugh at. We do not get to go and leave the din and clamor after the lights go off and the curtain closes. There is no escape nor exit from this. Clearly.

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