I don't know if this is a “journalistic ethics” story or not.

You decide.

It was the late 90s or early 2000s, and I had a regular walk from my residence in Barangay Consolacion to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines’ safety office.

I jokingly called myself the “most annoying squatter” in their office, a term I used with the late Jigger Jerusalem, who was part of the NUJP staff.

The safety officer, JB Deveza, couldn’t stop me from camping out there even if he wanted to — you couldn’t pull me away from the free WiFi.

I was a full-time freelance journalist then, having been laid off from SunStar Cagayan de Oro for the third time.

I was selling stories and photos to MindaNews, Mindanao Gold Star Daily, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, BusinessWorld, Interaksyon’s TV5, Gulf News, Reuters-Thompson, the British Broadcasting Corp. and Agence France Presse.

But I digress.

Let’s get back to that fateful day.

As I neared Divisoria — about halfway to my destination — a Cadillac SUV pulled up beside me.

I stopped.

The vehicle stopped.

When the passenger window rolled down, a local politician’s familiar and friendly face appeared.

“Asa ka paingon, Cong,” the councilor asked.

I replied that I was walking to Nazareth Subdivision to file my stories.

“Why don’t you come ride with me? I’m going there, anyway,” he said.

Thinking nothing of it, I got in. The SUV’s interior was so impressive I couldn’t help my nosy self.

“Tsadaha ining imong sakyanan, wad, uy!” I said.

He told me it was a gift from a wealthy friend. As much as I tried to restrain myself, I couldn’t stop my questions.

“Pila diay nia nga sakyanan, sir? Pila ang mileage, like liter to kilometer? Pila imong ginatubil ining hinatag nga sakyanan sa imo, sir?”

He didn’t answer any of my questions.

Suddenly, the politician told me he had to drop me off at Gaston Park to attend an important meeting.

Did I just lose a free ride because I was too nosy? Did he expect me to just shut up while he was giving me a ride? Did he expect me to believe the Cadillac was given to him without strings attached? Did he expect me to believe his bullshit?

I walked the rest of the way. I wanted the exercise, anyway.

Fuck him and his free Cadillac.