Concocting a protest rally in Marinduque

Wikipedia defines 'deception' as synonymous with “beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification and subterfuge that are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth (as in half-truths or omission).”

Deception may be easily applied to an impressionable, even gullible crowd, particularly young people gathered for an announced purpose supposedly for their benefit. This happened in Boac, Marinduque yesterday. Coming in full force, it was too late for the hopeful students to find out that the gathering was really designed and directed to cause hatred to one person, force another issue and exploit their presence in a "rally".

Tarp declares "Ang Pagbabalik ng Tunay na Scholarship para sa Marinduqueno... taos pusong handog sa inyo ni Congresswoman-Elect Ate Gina Reyes"

In post election Marinduque these techniques are even more alive now in view of the controversial proclamation of a non-candidate as winner for the position of Representative for the Lone District of Marinduque. Fresh high school graduates and college students from all over Marinduque were asked to come (with free transportation and lunch), at 7:00 am yesterday, June 3, at the would-be District Office of Regina O. Reyes, “Congresswoman-Elect”. The said address is just across the Boac Covered Court.

"HRET hindi COMELEC!", "Wag mong handlangan ang aming kinabukasan", "Layas ang Vulaan"
Facebook user Carlos Yu comments: "Gusto nilang dalhin sa HRET ang protesta dahil doon

 pwedeng patagalin ng patagalin at pwedeng paabutin ng tatlong taon bago ma resolba ang kaso. 

Ganito ang nangyari sa protesta ni Koko Pimentel laban kay Zubiri. 3 taon bago nakapagdecision

 ang Senate Electoral Tribunal to uphold the protest of Pimentel."

Tarps screamed “Ang Pagbabalik ng Tunay na Scholarship”. Reyes, if ever, has yet to assume that position in July.

Reyes, during the campaign propagated the big lie using the local community radio that incumbent Congressman Lord Allan Velasco had only 300 scholars (later 'corrected' by her camp to 2,000 scholars) as against the Reyes claim of having sponsored “30,000 scholars”. (Beneficiaries of Velasco’s educational assistance program totaled 5,752 in two and a half years; his predecessor in a radio program clarified that his was only “10,000 scholars” during his entire term that totaled 9 years).

As enrollment for college has already started and money is still scarce in poverty-stricken Marinduque, students, unwittingly came in droves to the Boac Covered Court. Hours later, there was widespread talk about a protest rally being staged in Boac against Cong. Velasco and being video-ed for TV.

Posters read: "Ate Gina kasama mo kami", "Walang magiging Tejada sa Marinduque", "Justice Velasco wag kang makialam"

Then from a Velasco supporter I received the following text message before noontime yesterday that apparently says it all:

“Akala ng mga tao me scholarship na apamigay si Gina sa munisipyo ng Sta. Cruz at yun ang pamalita, pinasama pa mga magulang, un pla, inakalap lang sila at papunta sa Boac at gapa  rally, nauto na naman ang mga tao. Kelan kaya sila matututo? At para saan ang rally? Mababago ba ng rally ang desisyon ng enbanc? Ang pagiging American citizen nya? Maski baliktarin nya ang buong lalawigan di pa rin magbabago ang katotohanang dinaya ang pagpo proklama sa kanya dahil hindi sya karapatdapat na kandidato dito sa Pilipinas… Patuloy pa rin nila tayong iniinsulto at tinatarantado sa ating bayan. Tinatanga nila tayo sa pang gagago nila sa atin! Kelan ba tayo magigising Marinduque?!! Tigilan na natin ang pagpapagamit sa kanila!”