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| Behind the Scenes with Ivy Visitacion |
There was a collective reaction of surprise from some of the audience during the 79 th Negros Press Club induction ceremony held recently at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, when the guest speaker, lawyer Teodoro Locsin Jr., described the King of Jordan's immediate reaction to the brutal killing of a young Jordanian pilot by the ISIS militants.
Locsin described King Abdullah's reaction as that, “of a true leader, not a brat”.
Whaaat? Coming from one of the closest and most loyal men of the late former President Cory Aquino, it was a shock to hear him describe her son, President Benigno Aquino III, as a brat. We have always admired Teddy Locsin (as he is more popularly called), for being a man of distinction with a brilliant mind.
He was Pres Cory's speech writer, especially when she spoke at the US congress where the top American leaders wildly applauded her speech and gave her a standing ovation. Why would Teddy now call Pres Noy, a brat? Does he know something we don't?
Nonetheless, the NPC induction was a well-organized and well-attended affair. Kudos to the new president, Dolores Epacta, for the smooth running of the entire program. The SMX Convention Center was an excellent choice for the formal ceremony.
We managed to have a brief chat with Teddy Locsin after the program and we suggested to him that a Filipino poet should write a poem about the “Gallant 44”, who died in the Mamasapano massacre. This could be somewhat similar to Alfred Lord Tennyson's immortal “Charge of the Light Brigade”. One of the lines in the poem even says, “Someone had blunder'd”.
What an interesting evening it was. I do love moments like this when we are spellbound by a man with a brilliant mind. *
