RELIEVED FROM her jetlag, isang maaliwalas (as usual) na Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta met with the entertainment press Tuesday before lunch at a resto on West Ave. in Quezon City.
Madaling araw before that, the PAO Chief just flew back from Los Angeles, California kung saan—along with King of Talk Boy Abunda—ay pinagkalooban siya ng parangal ng Gawad Amerika. Ang tropeong kanyang tinanggap was displayed along with three others on the presidential table.
Pretty in pink, ipinatawag ni Atty. Persida Acosta ang presscon na ‘yon to announce three major accomplishments that her agency has recently scored: ang kaso ng hindi pinagradweyt na PMA cadet na si Jeff Cudia, ang class suit laban sa Sulpicio Lines (64 of which ay naipanalo ng PAO) and more recently, ang tanim-bala modus (two of which ay hindi na pinadaan pa ni Acosta sa piskalya and were outright dismissed).
Pardon the irreverence, hindi lang dapat i-address na “attorney” ang hepe ng mga pampublikong manananggol sa bansa as Acosta finished her doctorate degree in social development. So, that does make her just dual?
Again, at the rate things are going with her career as a legal expert, dati nang TV host si Acosta. Could embarking on a showbiz career be far behind? No. Dahil ang Darling of the Press is now a certified movie star!
Playing herself as the champion of justice seekers ay ang papel ni Atty./Dr. Acosta in the comeback film of director Carlo J. Caparas, ang Angela Markado. Those born in the 60s-70s (tulad ng inyong lingkod) distinctly remember the movie, it starred Hilda Koronel mula sa direksiyon ng yumaong National Artist for Film na si Lino Brocka.
Mula sa serialized novel ni Direk Carlo sa komiks, many years later, the bespectacled, cap-wearing director and betterhalf to former actress and now producer Donna Villa is doing a remake of the film that won awards in the prestigious Grand Prix in France noong dekada otsenta.
Clearly, this explains why a story about human injustice would warrant a legal mind tulad ng exposure doon ni Atty. Acosta. Herlself having handled a number of rape cases, ang bida roon na si Andi Eigenmann is a gangrape victim who later avenges her abduction leading to rape.
Sa bandang huli—for all of the film’s redemption—ay idudulog ng biktima sa abogado ang kanyang pinagdaanan, while the lawyer advises her client to let the law take its course.
At the presscon, mukhang mga miyembro ng Mutual Admiration Society sina Direk Carlo at Atty. Acosta. Hanga si Direk sa katapangan at paninindigan ng PAO Chief sa kabila ng mga sinusuong na kaso na hindi biro ang mga taong binabangga.
In the same way, hats off din si Atty. Acosta sa nagbabalik na film director na aniya’y tunay na isang National Artist.
‘Ika nga, both the megman and the lawyer have unwritten advocacies that seek to make justice available to the weak and less privileged.
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
