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Tic-tac-toe (Meron namang bayad) (PJI editorial 12 August 2005)

Tic-tac-toe

THOSE jueteng witnesses who turned back on their words are an amusing lot—quite entertaining, too.

It must have occurred to them that their “testimony” is probably derived from the words “testes” and “money.” Assert out testes on the gavel block—ages back, a witness didn’t place his hand on a stack of Bibles but held the family jewels and swore upon future offspring of his to carry on the weight of shining truth or peddled pack of lies.

Indeed, it’s the sons and daughters yet to be born that will bear the onus of parental lies, or will be beaconed in their paths by the brilliance of truth their forebears upheld.

But then peddled lies don’t fetch piddling sums. Definitely not when yarns can affect positions of power, prestige, and perks imperiled by truth. In a sudden twist, the testes can be conveniently dropped and thereby solve pesky problems—mostly liquidity.

Testes need not be bashed when it turns to cash. Drop testes in testimony. Take the money—and run with tails between the legs.

Whatever truth mouthed off can be lapped up as a dog-- with all due apologies to dogs-- laps up its vomit.

The entertainment portion can be as absorbing as a game of tic-tac-toe. Double cross your comrades in jueteng operations then cross your fingers and hope to lie—that makes a straight triple cross. It’s a tic-tac-toe win.

Audiences are stumped. The collective mind boggles.

Were they lying through their teeth in the first place? Were they lying in the next?

Talk is cheap but overturning sworn statements before a fact-finding panel can be lucrative.

Testimony comes, to iterate, from “testes” and “money.”

Treasured family jewels need not be bashed when turned to cash.

Hindi bale nang walang bayag.

Meron namang bayad.

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Meron namang bayad

NAKAKATUWA ang mga testigo sa jueteng na bumawi sa mga binitiwan nilang salita—nakakalibang din sila.

Sumagi marahil sa kanilang isip na nagmula ang “testimony” sa mga katagang “testes” o bayag at “money” o salapi. Isalang ang bayag sa pukpukan ng malyete—nitong mga naunang panahon, hindi inilalapat ng saksi ang kamay sa bunton ng Bibliya pero tutukupin ang sariling bayag at susumpa sa kanyang mga magiging supling na magtataglay sa batik ng mga kabulaanan o tatanglawan ng maningning na katotohanan.

Tahasang mga sariling anak ang matatabunan sa bigat ng kasinungalingan o gagabayan sa kanilang landas ng liwanag ng katotohanan na pinagliyab ng kanilang ninuno.

Pero natutumbasan ng kahit 30 pirasong pilak ang bawat Hudas. Lalo na kung ang ihahayag nilang pangungusap ay tahasang makakatibag sa mga trono ng poder at pagtatamasa na nanganganib sa daluhong ng katotohanan. Sa iglap na pihit ng pangyayari, maipagbibili ang bayag at malulutas ang maraming problema—karaniwang tungkol sa pera.

Hindi naman yata kailangang mapitpit ang bayag kung mahihimas ng bayad. Kapunin ang bayag sa “testimony”. Sunggaban ang salapi—kumarimot ng takbo nang bahag ang buntot.

Anumang isinukang salita ay mababalikan at – pasintabi at paumanhin sa mga aso – muling mahihimod, malululon, masisikmura tulad sa ginagawa ng aso.

Nakakalibang na parang larong tic-tac-toe ang ginawa ng mga testigong nabanggit. I-double cross ang mga katoto sa operasyon ng jueteng, saka cross your fingers and hope to lie. Tatlong krus na ‘yon. Panalo sa tic-tac-toe.

Gulat ang balanang miron. Tuliro ang ating mga utak.

Nauna ba ang kanilang pagsisinungaling? O sa kasunod nang hirit sila nagsinungaling?

Walang saysay ang sobrang salita pero kapag binaligtad ang sariling kataga—na hindi naman sa bato naitaga—baka magkamal ng tiba-tiba.

Ulitin natin: nagmula ang testimony sa “testes” at “money”.

Hindi mapipitpit ang bayag kapag tinatapatan ng bayad.

Hindi bale nang walang bayag.

Meron namang bayad.


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