Play The Queen: Act One

Chapter 10.5: New Target Acquired

A/N: This is the second update for today, 02/22/22. Please read the previous chapter before this one, if you haven't.

[REDACTED]'s MONOLOGUE

LET ME get this straight: the stern president of the University Student Council was spotted with some hot chick, huh? I wonder why this happened all of a sudden? Base sa aking observation sa kanya, seryoso siyang student leader at tanging council duties ang nasa isip niya. Wala sa itsura niya ang maghanap ng girlfriend. Busy na nga siya sa pagba-balance ng academics at ng student council duties, tapos daragdagan pa niya ng love life?

But don't get me wrong. I wasn't saying that juggling those three things was impossible. No. I would say it's gonna be extremely challenging. May mga kakilala akong nagawang pagsabayin ang tatlo dahil sa strict na time management. But in the president's case, it's kinda suspicious. It's kinda out of character for him. And that's exactly why it caught my attention.

Let's see . . . the president was first spotted with his mysterious date at Moonbucks Cafe. He wasn't the type to spend the afternoon in a crowded place like that coffee shop, so why would he be there? I assume na siya ang tipo na instead na mag-dine in, ipate-take out niya ang kanyang order at iinumin sa office kung saan mas tahimik at maayos. Isa pa, laging student council officers ang kasama niyang pumupunta roon, base sa kanilang pictures online. It's odd, though not completely unusual, for him to be there with someone else.

Speaking of his mysterious date, looking at the comments, siya raw ang gumanap sa titular role ng Mulan show last semester. A theater actress, huh? Her name's Fabienne Lucero. What a unique and beautiful name! Hindi lang pangalan ang maganda sa kanya, pati ang itsura at katawan niya. Siya pala 'yon? I did watch that play, but I didn't recognize her face in the photo because of the lack of makeup and costume.

So someone who's good at acting met with the president at a cafe. Was this their first meeting? Maybe. Maybe not. Baka magkakilala na sila bago pa ang kanilang coffee date doon. They could have exchanged contact numbers behind the scenes and started texting days or weeks prior. Wala namang masama kung gano'n.

Then they were next spotted in the food hub during lunchtime. Lagi ba siyang kumakain doon? Let's check. . . Based on the photos where he was tagged by other USC officers, mas pinipili nilang kumain sa mga resto sa second floor. So why would the president eat lunch with a theater actress in another crowded place on the ground floor? Was he only being considerate dahil baka hindi afford ng kasama niya ang pagkain sa mga resto? Or was there something else going on here?

What if I was asking the wrong questions?

I might need to take a few steps backward, way before the meeting of these two. What caused the sudden changes in the behavior and choices of the president? Para sa akin, hindi siya ang tipo ng tao na basta-basta o bigla-biglang magbabago. He seemed like a rock or a block of ice that melts very slowly to me. Malakas ang kutob kong may nagtulak sa kanya. The reason must be so compelling, he shifted slightly away from his usual orbit.

Let me see.

One week before siya na-spot-an kasama ang kanyang date, may inilabas na survey ang The Herald. His approval rating was at twenty-eight. A month before that article was published, his rating was at thirty-five. So there's a seven percent drop within a month. Curious. Related ba ang ratings niya sa biglaang pagsulpot ng ka-date niya? Possible. But why would he be concerned about it? The approval rating was just a number. Pwede naman niyang i-disregard 'yon at magpatuloy sa pagse-serve sa student body.

Oh, by the way, anong year na ba ang president? Hmmm. . . third year Political Science student. Bagay na bagay, ha? He could put into practice ang mga political theory na natutunan niya. Wait, a third year student as USC president? Usually fourth year na ang mga nagse-serve sa gano'ng posisyon.

Teka, saan ba 'yong Constitution and By-laws ng student government? Alam ko naka-save sa laptop ko. Mahanap nga muna. It must be somewhere here . . . Hayun! Let me check that provision. Hmmm . . . Walang nabanggit kung limited sa isang term ang USC president. As long as hindi pa graduating ang candidate, pwede siyang tumakbo. So that meant . . .

Gotcha! I finally figured it out.

The incumbent USC president must be planning to run for reelection, and the low approval ratings weren't helping him. Kung gusto niyang manalo ulit, kailangang gumanda ang kanyang image bago dumating ang susunod na eleksyon. Kailangan niyang i-convince ang mga estudyante na dapat niyang ipagpatuloy ang kanyang nasimulan. Otherwise, the students would vote for someone else and he'd be out of office by next academic year.

So this must be where this whole date thingy came in. Mukhang sinadyang magkita ang dalawa sa mataong lugar—una sa Moonbucks Cafe 'tapos sa food court. Students started to talk about the president and his rumored First Lady, and they began to see another side of him. Kung magiging successful 'to, gaganda na ang image niya sa mga estudyante. Tataas na rin ang kanyang approval rating na makatutulong sa reelection bid niya.

This was getting quite interesting!

But I had no proof or whatsoever. Theory lang ang meron ako. Malikot din kasi ang isip ko minsan, kung ano-anong thoughts ang ine-entertain. Pero hindi imposible itong theory ko. People who have already tasted power would do everything to cling to it. He may not look power-hungry right now, but power could corrupt him along the way.

Unfortunately for the USC president, I call bullshit to the blossoming relationship between him and the theater actress. Isa pa naman sa mga ayaw ko ay ang mga kasinungalingan at panloloko. Gagawin ko ang lahat para ma-expose ang mga 'yon. I didn't care if he's the USC president or the University chancellor. The Center for Christian Formation director and the Social Science professor learned that lesson the hard way. Wala akong sinasanto rito.

Looks like I found my next target. I should contact my editor as soon as possible and ask for a beat reassignment. Again. I have another big fish to catch and fry.

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A new actor is about to enter the stage! Next update will be the start of the team building arc!

If you've enjoyed this update and you have some thoughts to share, let me know by tweeting with the hashtag #PlayTheQueenWP!