what's brewing?

He's here and met with the media this morning. I mean Neri, the former head of the Commission on Higher Education who turned out to be more popular than our dear Darna--pun not intended--when the controversial ZTE deal became one of the mothers of all the scandals that rocked the administration.

He looks fit now--far from the Neri I saw early last year at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao when he was still the head of Ched. So fit that he appeared to me like someone who can put up a day-long cat-and-mouse chasing game with whoever would want to--or even a fist fight--unlike that day in UP-Mindanao where his escape from the angry students was made sweatless by his bodyguards. Bodyguards--made me think of Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Sweet.

At the hotel yesterday, Neri did not appear to me like he's someone who has been entangled into the messy multimillion ZTE deal. He looked calm and sounded--effortlessly--optimistic that the money of the contributors of the Social Security System that he heads now will not go down the drain--actually guaranteed as it is the safest investment, anyway--once it will be funnelled into the government Economic Stimulus Package.

He looked--cherubic--to say the least.

Ay waw! P12.5 Billion of SSS contributors money will be poured to complete the P330 Billion package, along with the share of the GSIS and two other government finance institution. Yes, a government package. And the money is guaranteed. And it will help pump prime the economy. And will help generate employment. And, pardon the redundancy, this is guaranteed.

Yes, dear. This is Neri--and the government--brewing.