CASTIEL
MY NEW council was working out just fine. Tabitha must be joking when she told me that she randomly picked our three junior officers from dozens of applicants. They managed to live up to my expectations so far. If they seemed inadequate and incompetent, I would terminate their internship with us.
"Good morning, fellow Elysians! For those who have forgotten my name already, I'm Mignonette Nievera, your press secretary for today. This is my second presser, so please be still gentle to me!"
I stopped by our office lounge and looked up at the television screen to watch our interim press secretary. Mignonette was all smiles, looking a lot less nervous compared to when she first stood before that lectern. Walang aberya no'ng unang press briefing niya. Maybe the vultures went easy on her because she was new. But we could not expect the same gentleness this time or in the next one.
"The USC will audit the accomplishment reports and financial statements of all mandated and non-mandated student organizations for the first semester," she spoke articulately. "We're going to furnish every org a copy of our requests. We expect them to comply under the Freedom of Information act."
What's the use of a weapon if we were not going to wield it? My only target was the college student councils, but it's best to hide my intentions and make it appear as if it's a general audit. If one were to hide a leaf, one must hide it in a forest. Besides, who knows what we might find out about the other organizations? Maybe our audit could yield some results that we could take advantage of in the near future.
"I will now take your questions! Again, please be gentle. Thank you!"
"Mignonette! I'm Ambrielle from The Herald—"
"Hi, Ambrielle! What's your question?"
"The USC is auditing the student organizations, but who's going to audit the USC?"
"Good question!" Mignonette began. "We're going to make the council's accomplishment report and financial statements public this week! If you have any comments or questions, you may request additional details through our FOI channel. We will be happy to provide whatever information you may need to keep us in check."
"The last time the USC initiated an audit—specifically on the CSCs—you released the reports during the impeachment trial," Ambrielle added. "Some thought you weaponized FOI to find dirt on CSCs that aren't allied with you. Even CBA-CSC Chairperson Alaric Esteban claimed the same."
"I can't speak for the USC's intentions and actions in the first semester since I wasn't a junior officer back then," Mignonette replied. "But this audit is nothing but a standard procedure. It's not going to hurt anyone if they don't have any dirt at all. Only those who have something to hide will fear that the USC is going to use it as a weapon."
She will be fine. I limped my way back to my cubicle. I left the television on so there would be some white noise in the background. Bago ako dumeretso sa aking area, huminto muna ako sa cubicle ni Tabitha na abalang nagta-type sa desktop computer niya. Nakakunot ang noo niya at halos nagsalubong ang kilay na parang may pinoproblema.
I knocked twice on the panel. "You okay?"
Her annoyed gaze flicked up to me. "Do I look okay? You asked me to do another round of audit again, but lahat na ng student orgs this time. Do you know kung gaano katrabaho at katagal 'yon? 'Di bale sana kung puwede kong i-clone ang sarili ko para mas mapabilis ang work."
"If I only know how to audit, I would have done it myself," I told her. If only I could execute the duties and responsibilities of every position in the council, I would not have asked for anyone's help. Ngunit kailangan kong humingi ng tulong lalo na sa mga bagay na wala o kaunti ang alam ko. I could not risk doing a half-baked job especially now that the stakes were this high. I would be a laughingstock if I suspended most of my officers then begged them to return because I could not do it alone.
There's some merit in admitting that we could not do things alone, but there must be no shame in it.
"Just prioritize the CSCs and scrutinize every number and every detail. For the rest, just half-ass the review—"
"No." Her fingers paused from typing. When our eyes met again briefly, she glared daggers at me. "Paano kung may makalusot? Sino ang makaka-experience ng embarrassment? Me. My neck is on the line here, Cas, not just the USC."
Whoa. I did not expect that she would take this task too seriously. Alam kong gusto niyang madali at kaunti ang kaniyang ginagawa. She would not do it unless it was absolutely necessary and it was explicitly stated in her job description. My bad. I was wrong to misjudge her.
"Thankfully, I found the template that Sab used last time," she went on. "Do you know how many students organization there are in this uni? One hundred and forty-three! I'm going to email 143. Pray na wala akong mistake dito."
I would have asked Daphne, our interim secretary to do the email. But that task was so crucial, we could not leave it in the hands of a newbie. Kahit alam kong maiinis sa akin si Tabitha kapag ibinigay ko sa kaniya ang task na 'yon, ipinagkatiwala ko pa rin sa kaniya.
"I will buy you a cup of matcha tea latte from Astra Blend Cafe every day," I said before making an about-face turn. My left hand put my cane forward. "Just let me know what you need—"
"I should have suweldo in this job!" pahabol niya.
Iniwan ko na siya at nagpatuloy na ako sa paglalakad pabalik sa cubicle ko. I walked past Daphne's area. She was busy compiling the documents of our USC scholars. It's almost time for the renewal of their scholarships. Among them was Fabienne Lucero. If she would choose to get in my way, I would not think twice of revoking our grant to her. Kaya mas mabuti kung mananahimik siya sa isang sulok at hayaan akong gawin ang dapat kong gawin.
I was just a few steps away from my desk when Reginald ran toward me and blocked my path.
"Reg," I called him as I came to a sudden halt. "Is there a problem?"
"Not a problem, but an opportunity," answered Reginald, our interim coordinator. I gave him most of the duties of a chief-of-staff. Unlike Mignonette and Daphne, I could not bestow him the interim chief-of-staff title because first of all, I could not determine yet if he could be fully trusted. If I were to officially appoint my right-hand person, I would ensure that they got my one hundred percent trust and confidence. Second, he could not be superior to any of his peers.
"What kind of opportunity?" My eyes narrowed slightly. The latest task that I gave him was to request the academic records of our USC scholars from the registrar's office. 'Yon ang mga inaasikaso ni Daphne ngayon. He must have done something that was not included in his assignment sheet.
"I have a friend who writes for The Herald," he began. "He asked for suggestions on what article to write next since nothing is happening right now on campus. I suggested writing about you."
"Me?" My brows furrowed. "Why on earth will someone be interested in reading about me?"
"You're not just an acting president." He motioned in my direction. "You're a person with disability who took over the presidency during the time of crisis. Your story can be inspiring and empowering especially to physically challenged students who might be thinking that they cannot go that far in this world."
I glanced to my right. Normally I would decline that so-called opportunity. I was averse to the spotlight. I was not used to it. I preferred working in the shadows where my movements could not be easily traced or detected. But these were not normal circumstances. The moment I took my oath as vice president, I knew that I would be stepping into the light. Now that I was serving as acting president, I could no longer shy away from it.
I must embrace it. I must feel it.
"That sounds like a good opportunity." I looked back at him. An idea popped into my head. "Tell your writer-friend that I'm interested and available."
"Really? Which date works best for you?"
"Check our calendar and choose a date when we have no council business to do in the afternoon."
"Got it!" Reginald went back to his cubicle.
Again, Tabitha was right to pick the three of them. Soon enough, there would be a competition among the pack. Not everyone would get the chance to stay with us in our next term, should we win re-election. Just like a Trip to Jerusalem game, the seats were limited. Contenders would have to stand out and fight for the right to be seated there. Only time and circumstances could tell if any or all of these three younglings would survive.
LATER THAT afternoon, I prepared for the weekly LEXECOM meeting. Sinabihan ko si Daphne na samahan ako sa session. She was the most timid among the three. Aakalain kong clone siya ni Sabrina dahil sa katahimikan niya. But she would not survive this harsh environment if she would stay in her comfort zone. She needed to be exposed if she wanted to be one of us.
Upon entering the session hall, I quickly noticed Avrille talking to Alaric the Prick in what seemed to be a serious conversation. Si Avrille pa talaga ang lumapit sa puwesto niya. That prick enjoyed being treated like a king. Hindi man niya naisipang tumayo at pumunta sa puwesto ng kaniyang kausap.
Avrille greeted me with a smile as she walked back to her seat. Her fellow chairpersons also settled down the second that I did. I placed my walking cane beside me. Biglang tumahimik at umayos na rin ng upo ang mga reporter na kanina'y nagbubulungan na parang mga bubuyog. When my gaze roamed the gallery, I found Valeria sitting in the front row. Just one row behind her was Reynard who readied his laptop to take notes.
I nodded at Daphne who also took a seat in the gallery, next to the former vice president. If Val did not resign, she would have been in my position. I sometimes wondered how she would have navigated these unchartered waters if she was the acting president. Would she . . . Anyway, there was no point dabbling in what-could-have-beens.
The wooden gavel was resting on my side of the table. I held it in my right hand, beheld its simple beauty, before striking it on the circular block. "The Legislative-Executive Committee is now in session."
I called the roll next even if it was obvious that all nine chairpersons were present. We could save more time if we would do away with this step. But a process is process. We must follow what's written in the internal rules of the committee no matter how inconvenient and impractical they might be.
"Majority leader, what's our first order of business today?" I asked as I put my fingertips together. "Is it going to be about the constitutional amendments?"
Alaric the Prick glanced at someone across from him before moving his lips close to the microphone. "Mister Chair, before we resume the discussion on the amendments, I would like to raise something else first."
My left eyebrow inched upward. "And that is?"
He flicked his eyes again at someone across the table. I followed his eyeline and found him darting a glance at Avrille. "I move to censure the presiding officer over his disparaging remarks against yours truly and my fellow CSC chairpersons. We find your rhetoric divisive and hateful."
"Am I not allowed to freely express my opinion?" I roamed my gaze around the table. Almost everyone avoided my eyes. "You and your allies should not be too onion-skinned. Since you have the support of the majority here, your motion to censure me is expected to pass. But what will that accomplish exactly except delay much more important matters?"
"It doesn't hold any power, but we deem it important to call out our leaders and hold them accountable, especially when they use the bully pulpit to attack a fellow officer," Alaric the Prick explained. "We cannot let that behavior be the norm."
"Fine." A sigh of annoyance escaped my lips. "Let's get this over with so we can get back to the real issues. A motion to censure the presiding officer is hereby proposed. All those in favor, raise your hands."
As expected, Alaric the Prick and four of his allies raised theirs. Hindi na ako nagulat pa. He wanted to show that he got a chokehold over the majority in this committee. Gusto niyang ipaalala sa akin kung sino ang tunay na boss. Weird flex, but okay.
Then something unexpected happened.
"Minority leader, I haven't asked those who are against the motion to raise their hands," I told Avrille and the three other chairpersons.
"Mister Chair, we're voting in favor of the censure," she replied with a straight face and firm voice. "We agree with the majority leader. Your rhetoric in our previous session and in your press briefing was not helpful at all."
I ground my teeth and reclined my back which began hurting because Avrille and her party stabbed me there. All nine chairpersons voted in favor to censure me. The last time this happened was when the Freedom of Information act was passed. This was totally unexpected.
Agad na nabaling ang tingin ko kay Alaric the Prick. That must be the reason why he was speaking with Avrille before today's session began. He wanted them to conspire with him. A show of unity in the committee could undermine my position. Unfortunately for me, he managed to convince them. Maybe there was a quid pro quo involved here.
"The motion is carried out unanimously. The presiding officer is hereby censured," I announced before hitting the gavel. My gaze flickered to the prick. Happy now?
"I would like to put it on record that the motion to censure the presiding officer was actually the minority leader's idea," Alaric the Prick said. "The majority bloc is willing to let the presiding officer's language slide since it might have been made due to the pressure. But the minority leader asked me to propose that motion."
The pain in my back doubled as another knife was thrusted in it. So that's why she came to him earlier, not the other way around. I gave Avrille the side-eye. I thought we're in this together, Avi?
"Since I've been unanimously censured, I would like to take a few moments to process it. Let's take a five-minute break." I banged the gavel before grabbing the cane beside me. Nang tuluyan akong nakatayo, nilapitan ko agad si Avrille. "What's the meaning of this?"
She stood face-to-face with me. "You broke our agreement, Cas. We promise to be allies with the USC as long as we have a representative in the council. You suspended our fellow CAMPer indefinitely, so that's it. Hindi ako ang unang nagtraydor. Ikaw."
"So this is retaliation?" I lowered my voice so the reporters in the gallery would not hear us. May ilang pares ng mga mata ang nakamasid na sa amin. "What's next? You're going to recommend an impeachment complaint against me?"
"If that's what it will take to stop you."
"You're serious about impeaching me?" I scoffed. "Alam mo kung ano ang mangyayari kapag nangyari 'yon. Alaric will become the acting president. Can you stomach—"
"Yes, we can," Avrille cut my words short. "It's only going to be temporary anyway. Once Priam recovers from his coma, Alaric's term as acting president will come to an end."
"What if he doesn't regain consciousness? You will be making a big blunder!"
"We're willing to roll that dice."
"Why are you doing this?" I hissed. "What's in it for you?"
"We want to preserve the USC's integrity and Priam's legacy," she answered. "Right now, you're undermining everything that your council has worked so hard to achieve. A close friend of mine doesn't want to see your efforts and Priam's to be in vain." She then looked back at the gallery.
I followed her eyeline. Sandaling nagtagpo ang tingin namin ni Valeria na nanatiling nakaupo roon. She looked so serious, so determined. My pain in the back became intense until I averted my gaze. The feeling then subsided. Can it be . . .
"Fix your mess, Cas. If not, we're going to kick you out of this committee."
Avrille walked away from me with her two partymates.
I clicked my tongue. If they were willing to shake hands with the devil, then my plans would be in jeopardy. I wished that I did not need their support to preserve the status quo until Priam regained consciousness. Alas, some stuff might not go as planned.
♔
NEXT UPDATE: Reynard starts digging deep into the failed assassination plot.