BACOLOD CITY — I saw this before: the beauty of House Bill No. 3306 of Rep. Monico Puentevella, known as the Right to Reply. It gets the author himself.

Joe Libo-on’s “Joe Live” program over Sunshine Channel, showed Congressman Monico Puentevella lambasting Mayor Bing Leonardia, City Legal Officer Allan Zamora, Councilors Greg Gasataya, and Bobby Rojas.

Zamora demanded his right to reply. Sunshine Manager Amado Villacarlos told Joe Libo-on to accommodate Allan Zamora yesterday afternoon. Not request. Ordered Libo-on because it is his responsibility to allow the right to reply. Lest he be one fined and, if the Bill is to be followed, jailed.

And if Monico demands that he answers Zamora, Amado cannot help but comply. Or he risks fine, suspension, and jail also.

Then Zamora can again ask for his right to reply of the reply to the reply. Joe Libo-on’s program will be rating and, if he gets a good amount of ads, Sunshine better raises the rates.

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How far will this go? No limit. The Bill does not provide a limit. And this is only with Allan Zamora. Bing Leonardia has not yet asked for his right to reply. And Greg Gasataya and Bobby Rojas too. They were all lambasted by Monico also.

And after they lambast Monico at Sunshine, Monico must answer them, too. He is assured of a good audience. I got a whisper that with Monico taking up Greg’s alleged house in Mansilingan, Greg will come up with Monico’s “Nipa Hut” in Sipalay.

Gasataya was rating with his exposés when he was a broadcaster at Bombo. He was a protégé of Monico before he changed affiliation to be with Bing. Protégés always enjoy fighting their mentors.

And it will give Gasataya a good media exposure for his candidacy.

Bobby Rojas, too, must enter the fray if he needs some publicity mileage.

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Must all people exercise their right to reply? Not necessarily.

If you are lambasted in a program that has no listenership or viewers except the members of one’s family, some people might prefer to ignore it. What they should be afraid is if it is aired in a popular program.

The problem is if you try to ignore and the attacks are made consistent, you have no alternative but to reply.

It’s different when you are attacked by a “barker.” Or a paid hack. You can ignore them. People understand barkers’ credibility is low.

Our item on “Barkers” got quite a good reaction.

Robert Strause e-mailed me and said he found the item on barkers interesting. In America, he said, barkers are found in “amusement parks or fairs yelling for the people to come or buy his wares or come and see the show.” He added, “Yes, in America he barks too for a fee.”

A Spanish citizen, Señora Gilda Puey Locsin texted me, “I enjoyed your item on media barkers, lap dogs, and paid hacks.

I was asked, who are these barkers? I said, I don’t know of one. I asked Monico lately if he could name them. He evaded the question. I join him. Or, if they want, they can go to jeepney stops where barkers also abound. These are jeepney barkers who give traffic cops the headache.

The complaint of some drivers is that barkers earn more than these drivers earn. In media, too. Barkers earn better.

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Barkers or paid hacks are not new. I wrote the other day of an epitaph written by English poet Oliver Goldsmith in 1774 on a paid hack.

And a friend pointed out to me, another poet Edmund Spenser (1552 – 1599) who through his writing extorted from Queen Elizabeth. Paid hack?

Spenser presented the Queen a poem and asked for a gratuity of 100 pounds. The Queen approved. Lord Treasurer Burleigh objected, “What, all this for a song?” The Queen replied, “Then give him what is a reason.”

Lord Treasurer Burleigh was stubborn like treasurers now. So, Spenser wrote a poem which said, “I was promised on a time/ To have reason for my rhime,/ From that time unto this season,/ I received to rhime nor reason.”

The Queen, the story goes, after scolding the Lord Treasurer, ordered the immediate payment, fearful of more stinging poems.

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A friend texted me, Gov. Joseph Marañon and then Vice Gov. Isidro Zayco were also offered by Joc Joc Bolante fertilizer campaign funds. They refused.

He asked, who were those who received? Many! But I remember congressman Monico Puentevella who received P5 million and said, he had the names of the farmers and the fertilizers they received.

Others were quiet.

Joc Joc Bolante will be left with no alternative but to reveal the names and the amount. Those who are trying to hide will be exposed anyway. Let the axe fall where it may.

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