We cannot help but appreciate the admirable disposition displayed by Mrs. Mae Lim Imboy when she stood by her man who was the object of ugly innuendoes the past weeks. Although our radio program Cuentas Claras over Station DYTR refused to be stampeded into identifying the man behind the “blind item” who was supposedly caught with her pants down in the company of his girlfriend, Mrs. Imboy volunteered to go on air and pleaded to the anchormen to put closure to insinuations about her husband.

Mrs. Imboy's frank admission was the virtual giveaway of the identity of the unidentified public official. It also eliminated whatever doubts the public has harbored about the supposed incident where the provincial board member was caught en flagrante. In fact, long before the l' affaire Imboy came into the open, the grapevine was already awash with talks that a provincial official with congressional aspirations in the third district was caught dating with her girlfriend in Cebu by no less than his wife. Seeing public interest in the supposed romantic accident, Cuentas Claras tossed the issue to the listening public for its reaction if it was an issue for a public official to maintain another woman other than his wife.

The reactions were mixed giving rise to speculations that maintaining a paramour as far as public officials are concerned was not an issue. One texter even opined that since we are supposed to be dominated by the so-called macho culture, a married man having a girlfriend has become part of the territory. By all means, we are not trying to justify that married men let alone public officials maintaining mistresses must by any yardstick is acceptable in our macho society. For purposes of discussion we have no qualms whatsoever if our radio program elicited varied reactions because the issue was highly debatable and therefore imbued with public interest.

Enter Mrs. Imboy to deny the salacious story. And that exactly why we admired the gallant stand put up by Mrs. Imboy in defending her husband about insinuations that he was caught in an uncompromising position with his girlfriend. After all, she said there was no truth to the rumor and that explained why he went on air to defend the integrity of her husband. With that unequivocal determination to stand by her man, we doff our hat to her unquestionable courage. Unless, someone out there will prove that we are dead wrong in putting closure to the sad episode in the life of the Imboy couple.