"Ces and Frank" is not as funny as TV's "Mork and Mindy" or as nostalgic as "Dick and Jane" or as a couple like "Brad and Angelina" or as enemies like "Punch and Judy."
But for the last 10 days, "Ces and Frank" was the most famous item on the lips of 90 million Filipinos for separate reasons.

"Frank," as you know, was the howling super-typhoon that devastated a wide swatch of area across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and destroyed P3-billion worth along the way together with hundreds killed or missing.

"Ces," on the other hand, is the Ces Oreña-Drilon, the famous anchor-star reporter of ABS-CBN who was abducted for "10 days in the Jungle of Hell" and allegedly ransomed for a whooping P20 million.

"Frank," was frankly, hot-headed and spared no one along his warpath, leaving many lives and property lost and the rest - for a time without electricity and water. It was the dark ages - again - and "Frank" is now facing a number of court cases for multiple murder and massive destruction of private and public property.

"Frank" - or we might as well call it the monster-killer "Frankenstein" -claimed its largest horde of victims by sinking off Romblon island the MV Princess of the Stars of Sulpicio Lines - with over 800 passengers, many of whom are believed dead.

Even on those early days of the "floating coffins" plying the Manila-Cebu route, that sea area in Romblon has always been choppy and filled with sharks. How hungry the sharks then at the time of sinking could determine how many more survivors will rise from yet another tragedy involving Sulpicio Lines.

Sulpicio Lines or "Puwerhisiyo Lines" as one radio commentator termed the shipping line, could face a franchise loss since it has already been involved in three sea disasters in the past 21 years. The biggest of course, was when the Doña Paz collided with an oil tanker that killed 4,386 off Mindoro- considered the worst maritime tragedy of the world in peace time history.

Levity, aside, since we cannot (frankly) bring "Frank" to court, we can only blame four entities: Sulpicio Lines, the Coast Guard, the Pag-asa weather bureau and our 60

gallivanting congressmen.
Sulpicio Lines, nine corporate lives and all, lived to stage another tragedy at high seas over the dead corpses of thousands of unfortunate Filipinos. It is plain corporate greed to force vessels to travel even with the threat of the typhoon. The Coast Guard: for allowing the vessel to sea even under Signal No. 1 - for God only knows (since Pag-asa doesn't) that mid-course the storm signal can change to Singal No. 2 or 3.

Pag-asa (as in "walang pag-asa), despite its multi-billion annual budget, cannot seem to do what it was erected to do: predict the weather. All it can lamely say is that since 1948, this is only the second time that the country experienced a "wayward typhoon" (translate that Pag-asa could not track).

But given the woeful, awful record of Pag-asa of predicting "super" typhoons that never arrive (delayed by bad weather, sir?) and forecasting sunshine for horrible rains - wasn't the inability to spot the wily "Frank" just Pag-asa's trademark of being true to form? Que horor!

As for the 60 congressmen (almost 25% of the entire Lower House) who are on a junket with President GMA in Washington, may God have mercy on their souls. Some of them - while their constituents walked between life and death and sacrificed so much discomfort - allegedly decided to stay and shop (with people's money perhaps) and watch Pacquiao beat Diaz live on Sunday (Manila time) in Las Vegas.

We have nothing about rooting for Pacquiao - but certainly the timing is off and these junketers' act leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

As for the "Ces" kidnapping episode - everyone is being blamed except Government - which has the sole responsibility of ending the Muslim secessionist movement , upon which the terrorists like the Abu Sayyafs have built their crusade on - by getting help from disgruntled Muslims.

For instance, they blame Mayor Isnaji, for taking part of the ransom money - when this appears to be a Modus Operandi all along for kidnapping cases in Mindanao - the negotiators - whether military or civilian reportedly partaking of the loot as their "bonus" of walking the extra mile?

For instance, in the Dos Palmas kidnapping who got P10 million of the P20 million ransom paid? Your guess is as good as ours.

Then an insensitive Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye all but blamed Ces Drilon for her bravado in covering the Sulu story saying "Ces recklessly disregarded personal safety to get the story. No story is worth putting one's family in agony for."

Allegedly, against orders of ABS-CBN, Ces Drilon likewise covered the Manila Peninsula siege of senator Antonio Trillanes IV last November and got herself hailed to jail - for God knows what reasons the PNP had.

But that is precisely where true-blue journalists worth their badges like Ces begins to be different from the likes of Bunye - who are arm-chair analysts and fires words inside air-conditioned offices and protected pulpits in the Palace. How dare him tell Ces how to do her job?

Then presidential aspirants jealous of Senator Loren Legarda's continued high acceptance rating - tried to destroy her role in Ces Drilon's "escape to freedom" - by accusing her of grandstanding and credit-grabbing.

Loren Legarda who had been instrumental in the past in peacefully causing the rescue of journalists (like Arlyn de la Cruz) and military men (like Col Buan et al) and had used her Honorary Muslim Princess title to advantage in the negotiations was asked to do a job as a public official. She also honors Ces as a friend and colleague.

Senator Loren was begged by Ces to help intervene, Maria Ressa, head of the TV network's news and public affairs bureau asked her the same and Arlyn de la Cruz encouraged her to use the same channel of rescue utilized in the past.

While these acts of courage of Loren are mocked by rivals, it is worth noting that tragedies like kidnappings and paying of ransom should not have happened (in the first place) if we had peace and quiet in places like Mindanao.

Who do you think should get the blame for that - Senator Loren Legarda?

Ces and Frank, what front-page stories they made!