By Raïssa Robles
In his political commentary-novel “Blighted”, lawyer Frank Chavez describes a very interesting character whom I suspect was based on a real personality.
Chavez calls this character ‘Jabba the Hut’ – a frequent party guest in wealthy businessmen’s mansions like that of one of the main characters, the road contractor Johnny Garcia. Here’s Chavez’ description of Jabba, the only guest that the likes of Johnny fawn over:
This guest stood about five feet, seven inches tall, was mild-mannered, on the fat side now and with a shrill, almost womanish voice. In whispers, people called him Jabba, most probably in reference to Jabba the Hut of “Star Wars” fame.
Jabba, fawned over by ass lickers, but abhorred by most, had developed a reputation as a shadowy, avaricious, ruthless operator, fixer and “commissioner” in big business transactions, both in government and in the private sector. He was not a government official but maintained intimate relations with those in power. Since he was not holding a public office, he considered himself beyond public accountability. But he made things happen; public officials moved and acted the way he willed it. His wishes were their command, as they could neither refuse nor contradict him. Those who did found themselves out of office in two weeks, a month at the latest.”
Jabba had become notorious due to public perception based on verifiable information that he was the one who pushed for the anomalous IMPSA deal, brokered two multi million dollar deals with construction firms of two countries, devised the fertilizer fund scam at the Department of Agriculture, sponsored big-time smuggling at the ports of entry, influenced rigged biddings for construction projects, siphoned off dollars to Hong Kong, Switzerland and the British Virgin Islands, maintained a fictitious local bank account, sold high-powered weapons to terrorists in Mindanao, dealt in counterfeit US dollars in Australia and New Zealand, and brokered the entries of big corporations into the business of power/energy generation, conversion and transmission, not to mention the acquisition of control over blue chips corporations using corporate dummies.
The greed was just horribly insatiable. The litany secret and anomalous deals was endless. Where big money was involved in public or private transactions, Jabba always figured in them. And when interviewed by media, Jabba would always retort with signature arrogance:”That’s not true. But if you have the evidence, go ahead and sue me.”
Author Frank Cahvez
Frank Chavez went on to narrate the following in his book which he published in 2009:
In one particular party, Jabba selected two senators, one congressman, the Speaker of the House, the PNP Chief, the Commander of the marines, the Secretary of the Department of Justice, and the National Bureau of Investigation director to join him at his table.
And then Jabba proceeded to give them their orders.
Chavez later called his character Johnny “remorseful” for doing Jabba’s bidding, but said Johnny was hit with the realization that “this way of life for him had become irreversible.”
Now, let me play the English teacher here and give you a short quiz:
1. Who is Jabba the Hut?
2. Is this way of life for the Johnny Garcias of the Philippines irreversible?
3. What can you do as a plain citizen to reverse that?
I’d love to know.
manuelbuencamino says
composite of several well known personalities like joc joc bolante (fertilizer scam), mark jimenez (impsa), and other notorious fixers. People who would be called Mr Wang-Wangs instead of Jabba in today’s lexicon
Rallie F. Cruz says
“Go ahead, sue me if you have evidence.” such remark would only happen to someone being backed up by loyal friends (loyal and no other choice friends) for any reason at all cost.
Identify them one by one who serves at his pleasure. Like the dragon that has many limbs, cut off the few longer limbs to weaken it and then chop the head.
The only problem with that at the moment, is that the main dragon has offspring who are becoming a dragon themselves.
Greg Hutchinson says
1. Well may the national figure be the former FG, but from where I have stood there are sibling Jabba The Huts who call the shots politically and who control the fate of investors in their locality.
2. My family survived one onslaught by a sibling Jabba the Hut in Panay, details of which are posted on http://www.maroon.org. In brief we were made to see the light of real politique in regional Philippines and setled for getting less than 20cents in the dollar for our Boracay SandCastles Beach Resort.
3. Having spent time with a sibling Jabba the Hut up close, I believe he, like the provincial politicians and judges, who oftentimes pay homage to him, are eager in the current political environment to sport sheeps clothing, express shock at what happened to us (4 murder attempts, one abduction attempt and being held capitve) although it was by their default that such events happened and were destined to remain unresolved. We would hope the current fashion is not a mere seasonal fad. And I must underscore it is a symbiotic relationship between politicians/judges on the one hand and the sibling Jabba the Hut, such that both parties are equally tainted, equally responsible and equally victims of a warped politico-economic system that leaves them little choice to play the game, for the moment in a more civilized guise.
Evangeline Eriksson says
1. Jabba the Hut is Mike Arroyo- the man married to GMA.
2. His way of life is indeed irreversible because he is the perpetual sinner without remorse of the conscience.
3. As a plain citizen there is nothing I could do to reverse that.
james maglinao says
a. Its formr FG Mke arroyo
b. Nope. I wnt lose hope. Im stil dreaming dt 1 day Filipinos wd stnd up nd change d systm.
c. I wud exercse honesty nd righteousnes n my own world. Nd wud teach my ftre children, d value f a lyf basd on honesty nd faithflnes 2 God.