Kadiri

Kadiri means disgusting, despicable, contemptible, detestable, abominable.

That describes what former congressman and now undersecretary of labor Jacinto “Jing” Paras did to Rep. Tom Villarin (Akbayan partylist).

In a press interview about the complaint for theft he filed against Paras last Monday at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, Villarin related:

“Habang naghi-hearing kami (committee on labor on March 20, 2018) nilapitan niya ako. Parang salisi gang at dinukot ang aking cellphone. Nakuha ng CCTV. (While we were in a hearing, he approached me. Just like the Salisi gang ang took my cellphone. This was captured by the CCTV.)

Villarin further said: “Nilapitan niya ako at sinabing, ‘kayo pala ani Sen. Hontiveros ang magkasama. Meaning meron siyang malicious intent. Nang lumingon ako, after a few seconds, wala na ang aking cellphone. (He approached me and said, ‘So you are together with Sen. Hontiveros.’ Which means he has malicious intent. When I was looked at him, after a few seconds, my cellphone was gone.)”

He reported the loss of his cellphone to the House Security and after a few hours after , it was found in another room.

The House of Representatives has not released to the media the CCTV of the incident but Villarin said one of the photos he attached to his complaint showed Paras holding two cellular phones.

The manufacturers of fake news immediately went to work. Team Duterte for Federalism shared a photo in social media of Paras side by side a group picture featuring, among others, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Villarin with the screaming text, all caps punctuated by exclamation points: MUST WATCH! RELASYON NI RISA HONTIVEROS A AKBAYAN REP. TOM VILLARIN NABISTO! PANOORIN! IPHONEX NI REP. TOM VILLARIN. SI SEN. RIZA HONTIVEROS ANG LAMAN. RELASYON NG DALAWA, NABULGAR!

Of course, as all fake news go, there’s nothing that supports the headline when you click on the post. It’s a news item about Villarin’s press conference.

Stealing cellphones is the pits in the list of undesirable behavior of Duterte appointees.

What could be the motive of Paras in stealing Villarin’s cellphone?

In September last year, at the height of the public’s outrage over the killing of Kian de los Santos by Caloocan City police officers, Paras filed charges of kidnapping and wiretapping against Hontiveros.

Hontiveros provided sanctuary to three minors who witnessed Kian’s murder.

The wiretapping charge stemmed from Hontiveros’ disclosure of text messages between Paras and then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre who was in a Senate hearing on police anti-drug operations.

TV cameras were able to capture the text messages of Paras to Aguirre criticizing the questions being posed by Hontiveros to the resource persons.

Paras did not deny he got Villarin’s cellphone but denied that he stole it. His explanation: “The possibility is when I placed my phone on the table when I was talking with Villarin, and when I lifted my phone, I must have accidentally lifted his phone also and I proceeded immediately to another hearing at the 2nd floor by the Committee on Mindanao Affairs. When I finished my testimony there, I lifted my phone again and I must have left the phone of Villarin there, which was found by the security and turned over to his staff. I have not stolen his phone because I have an intent to gain from taking it if I accidentally lifted it together with my phone.”

We have a term for that: Nagpapalusot.

Paras said how could he open Villarin’s phone when he did not know the password.

Did he realize that when he attempted to look into the messages?

Villarin used “salisi gang” to describe Paras’ operation on his cellphone. A post in Facebook called it “Natokhang.”