Elmo is still going on with his crappy decision of admitting Makmak into a private school, disregarding his wife’s reasoning. He soon finds out that he’s won at loteng. Meanwhile, the Corpuzes deliberate on throwing a birthday party for Glen, though not thrilled with her decision to invite Cardo.
Elmo receives his winnings from Gordon, who talks him into betting again. He soon goes to a private school to enroll Makmak, only to find out that the fees are much more than what he anticipated.
“Why is this so expensive?” Elmo asks.
“We also have miscellaneous fees… for field trips, a Christmas party and energy fee.”
“You mean electricity?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are you going to charge your water bills to us too?”
Smiling, the attendant shakes her head mercifully.
Cardo informs the family about Glen’s birthday party. While he asks Onyok to make Glen a card as he has her favorite karikari prepared for her, Rigor counsels Jerome to give Glen an expensive gift Cardo won’t be able to afford.
Onyok gives Cardo the card he’s made with Makmak and urges him to sign. Seeing that it has an “I love you” drawn in it, Cardo is hesitant to. Elmo arrives and soon receives a text from someone.
“Who texted you?” Yolly asks.
“It was just a text promo.”
“Really? Can I see it?”
“Oh, I erased it already. My inbox was full.”
Glancing at Benny, Cardo stares at Elmo suspiciously. As Don Emilio and the Tuazons discuss a business deal with Chen Lao, who’s only interested in high grade cocaine, Elmo leaves home for the gambling den on the guise of attending a friend’s party. Gordon introduces him to his mother and brother, then proceeds to woo him into gambling.
Don Emilio and the Tuazons discuss about their crucial business partner and client, Chen Lao. Meanwhile, at the gambling den staged to look like a wake, Elmo wins a bet and loses much more in return. Atong and Gordon woo him into placing more bets.
At the Corpuz residence, Supt. Catindig commends Glen on her exceptional performance. Jerome soon arrives with a gift for Glen. A second later, Cardo comes in with Benny and Onyok and they also give her theirs. Cardo stays back outside and watches gloomily as Glen dines with her guests, particularly Jerome. Catindig shares pleasantries with him before leaving.
Supt. Catindig delivers some bags of coins to his boss, the mayor, and his goons add them to the mayor’s mountain of coins (it’s actually a pool filled with coins. Ridiculous). Mayor Anton commends Catindig for protecting his business, and the officer in turn thanks him for making him Chief of the precinct.
Yolly finds out about her husband’s deception after calling his friend. Meanwhile, at the birthday party, Onyok wishes for Glen to choose to be with Cardo, while Jerome wishes that they’d be a couple on her next birthday.
Elmo arrives home and covers up his deception with even more pathetic lies. For Makmak’s sake, Yolly plays along. Eventually, she informs Flora and Cardo of her husband’s misadventures.
“Do you want us to follow Elmo?” Cardo offers.
“It’s your call.”
Later that night, Elmo foolishly steals all his wife’s savings in hopes of doubling it. As he sneaks out, Cardo and Benny tail him. Don Emilio and his obnoxious grandson and son-in-law relive the harm they have caused the de Leons. They then proceed to plan a mock operation to dissolve the CIDG’s suspicions.
Cardo and Benny watch discreetly as Elmo gambles with ease. They listen in as Gordon has a talk with his boss over the phone. Catindig asks him to make sure their busines remains a secret.
“If anyone tries to rat us out, he’ll be the next corpse in our coffin,” Gordon states. ”
“Good.”
“Speaking of corpses and coffins, we need to replace this one because aside from the stench, it’s starting to turn black.”
Benny suggests that they follow him, but Cardo decides against it. “This is not an ordinary wake, Benny. It’s an illegal gambling operation.”
The next morning, Yolly wails over the loss of her savings. Cardo mentions his suspicion of a powerful person protecting the gambling den. Elmo arrives to add more lies to his stories and Yolly throws the truth in his face. “Quit with the lying. I know you went gambling!”
“We followed you and found you deep in illegal gambling,” Cardo snaps. “Gambling has managed to ruin a lot of families. You will help us take them down so they can’t destroy any more lives. Do you understand, huh?!”
Elmo apologizes to the family and reveals his reason for venturing into gambling – Makmak’s tuition fee. Cardo scolds him some more for stubbornly insisting Makmak be enrolled in a private school. While Gordon is refreshing the disguised gambling den with some spray, a neighbor storm over.
“Hey, when are you going to bury that corpse?!” the guy challenges. “It’s stinking up the whole block! We can smell it all the way from our house!”
Gordon and his brother try to do damage control, but the guy is undeterred. “Hey, losers,” he addresses the gamblers. “Aren’t any of you bothered by the stench around here? Is your addiction to gambling that bad?” He then gets in Gordon’s face. “If you don’t shut this down, I’m telling the police.”
On Joaquin’s orders, his lapdogs spy on Cardo to confirm whether he’s on a case that could put their business in jeopardy. Gordon informs his boss of the problem at hand, just as Cardo arrives at the Quezon precinct and reveals to Glen the gambling operation going on in their neighborhood. He then hands her a sketch of Gordon, the gambling operator.
Glen and Jerome ask around about the wake that had been at Sta. Ines last night. Totoy and his mother play dumb and claim not to recognize Gordon’s sketch. The captain of the neighborhood watch comes to add to the deception. Glen and Jerome seem to believe the tale they’re telling.
“Are you sure about letting Glen and the others handle that case?” Benny asks Cardo. “What if sir Jerome messes up?”
“Let’s leave it to them for now. It’s their job.”
At the Quezon precinct, Jerome mentions his certainty of Cardo having made a mistake since the captain himself had given them his assurance.
“But what if the neighbors themselves were just covering up for each other?” Glen offers.
“We can’t prove that without any evidence,” Jerome argues.
“But in case Jerome does mess up,” Cardo says back by the roadside. “Then I’ll get back on the case. Because I simply refuse to let anymore families’ lives be ruined by those sleazebags.”
Credit: Blasters Series
