My column today, 9 July 2024 in #TheManilaTimes,
“There are three ways of reading a book: inspectional, analytical and synoptical. “Kingmaker” is not hard reading, considering there were photos on almost every page of the 302 pages.
But inspectional showed that the material was good copy, from the pages, font, and paper quality to the cover with its embossed title. It has the elements of what can be a bestselling book because it has a foreword by former president Duterte, two acknowledgments that hit the mark (“[W]hat really turned things around was when Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, announced in November 2021 that she had decided to run as Marcos’ ‘running mate’” and “Bongbong won hands down. I knew it. I worked hard for it”); it detailed the involvement of the first lady from appointments to policy issues to the rigodon in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Faustino, Bacarro and Teofilo); courtesy resignations asked from those identified with Rodriguez (“Rod-tagged” as the book called it); poll watchers all paid (never heard of that before); the US (“You are welcome to the US”) and China (“without any prior appointment”) rush to congratulate the son of Marcos Sr.; the excess funds that can “easily bankroll another round of campaign operations”; and Romualdez and Okada, among others. Analytical and synoptical will unravel those periods, leading the reader to stop and recall said events. Now you have proof.”
