Title: Landong sa Gahum (Shadow of Power)

Characters:

 Mayor Ricardo "Ric" Vargas: Incumbent Mayor, running for re-election.

 Councilor Antonio "Tonyo" Reyes: Challenging Mayor Vargas.
 Benjo: Head of Mayor Vargas' security detail.
 Rona: Member of Mayor Vargas' security detail, sharp and observant.
 Badong: Tonyo Reyes' trusted ally, involved in the assassination plot.
 Egay: Hired gunman.

Scenes:

Scene 1: Campaign Rally - Day

 Setting: A crowded public square, filled with supporters of Mayor Vargas. Banners and
posters are everywhere. Mayor Vargas is on stage, giving a speech. Benjo and Rona are
part of his security detail, scanning the crowd.

 Dialogue:

Mayor Vargas: (Energetic, waving to the crowd) Mga pinalangga kong kaigsoonan!
Pag-uswag ang atong dakbayan! Atong ipadayon ang maayongSugbo! (My beloved
brothers and sisters! Progress for our city! Let's continue the good governance!)

Crowd: (Cheering) Vargas! Vargas!

Benjo: (To Rona, through earpiece) Rona, naa kay nakita nga kahina-hina? (Rona, do
you see anything suspicious?)

Rona: (Scanning a section of the crowd) Negatibo, Benjo. Apan daghan kaayong tawo,
kinahanglan magbantay ta. (Negative, Benjo. But there are too many people, we need to
be vigilant.)

o Cut to: Tonyo Reyes watching the rally from a distance, a look of resentment on
his face. Badong is beside him.

Tonyo: Tan-awa sila, Badong. Nagmaya nga daw sila na ang nagdaog. Dili kini mahimo.
(Look at them, Badong. They're celebrating as if they've already won. This cannot be.)

Badong: Ayaw kabalaka, Konsehal. Naa na tay plano. (Don't worry, Councilor. We
already have a plan.)

Scene 2: Tonyo's Office - Night

  Setting: Tonyo Reyes' dimly lit office. He and Badong are meeting with Egay, a shifty-
looking man.

 Dialogue:

Tonyo: Sigurado ka ba niini, Egay? Walay kapakyasan. (Are you sure about this, Egay?
No failures.)

Egay: Ayaw kabalaka, Konsehal. Trabaho ko kini. Usa ka bala ra ang gikinahanglan.
(Don't worry, Councilor. This is my job. One bullet is all it takes.)

Badong: Ang target mao si Vargas. Sa sunod niyang pagpakita sa publiko. (The target is
Vargas. During his next public appearance.)

Tonyo: Kinahanglan kini mahitabo nga walay makasuspetsa kanato. Limpyo. (This needs
to happen without anyone suspecting us. Clean.)

Egay: Nasabtan. (Understood.)

Scene 3: Mayor Vargas' Residence - Morning

 Setting: The exterior of Mayor Vargas' house. Benjo and Rona are briefing the other
security personnel.

 Dialogue:

Benjo: Karong adlawa, naa tay pagbisita sa merkado publiko. Mag-amping ang tanan.
Rona, ikaw ang mangulo sa close protection ni Mayor. (Today, we have a visit to the
public market. Everyone be careful. Rona, you will lead the Mayor's close protection.)

Rona: Masaligan ninyo ako, Benjo. Bantayan nato pag-ayo si Mayor. (You can trust me,
Benjo. We will watch over the Mayor carefully.)

o Cut to: Mayor Vargas exiting his house, waving to the security team.

Mayor Vargas: Maayong buntag kaninyong tanan. Andam na ta sa pagserbisyo sa atong

katawhan. (Good morning to all of you. Let's get ready to serve our people.)

Scene 4: Public Market - Day

 Setting: A bustling public market. Mayor Vargas is walking through, shaking hands with
vendors and constituents. Benjo, Rona, and the security team are surrounding him,
vigilant. Egay is lurking in the crowd, disguised as a vendor.
 Dialogue:
 Vendor 1: Maayong adlaw, Mayor! Salamat sa imong pagbisita! (Good day, Mayor!
Thank you for your visit!)

Mayor Vargas: Walay sapayan, akong mga higala. Akong katungdanan kini. (You're
welcome, my friends. This is my duty.)

Rona: (To Benjo, through earpiece) Benjo, naay usa ka tawo didto sa unahan, nagtan-aw
kanunay sa Mayor. Nakasul-ob og kalo ug dako nga bag. (Benjo, there's a man up ahead,
constantly looking at the Mayor. He's wearing a hat and a big bag.)

Benjo: Bantayi siya pag-ayo, Rona. Ayawg kumpyansa. (Watch him closely, Rona. Don't
be complacent.)

o Egay subtly positions himself closer to Mayor Vargas. He reaches into his bag.

Rona: (Noticing Egay's movement) Mayor, palikod kadiyot! (Mayor, turn around for a
moment!)

o Rona quickly pushes Mayor Vargas slightly to the side just as Egay pulls out a
gun.
o A gunshot rings out, but it misses Mayor Vargas and hits a nearby fruit stand.

Crowd: (Screaming and panicking)

Benjo: (Shouting) Seguridad! Tabuni si Mayor! (Security! Cover the Mayor!)

o Benjo and the other security personnel immediately surround Mayor Vargas,
shielding him.

Rona: (Tackling Egay) Wala kay padulngan! (You're not going anywhere!)

o Rona and other security personnel subdue and apprehend Egay.

Scene 5: Police Station - Interrogation Room - Day

 Setting: A stark interrogation room. Rona is questioning Egay.

 Dialogue:

Rona: Kinsa ang nagpa-himo niini kanimo? Sulti! (Who ordered you to do this? Talk!)

Egay: Wala koy isulti. Wala koy nahibaw-an. (I have nothing to say. I don't know
anything.)

Rona: Ayawg pagbinuang. Nakita ka namo. Kinsa ang nagbayad nimo? (Don't be
foolish. We saw you. Who paid you?)
 o Benjo enters the room, holding a piece of evidence.

Benjo: Nakit-an kini sa imong bag, Egay. Usa ka sobre nga adunay kwarta ug usa ka
sulat nga adunay pirma ni Konsehal Reyes. (We found this in your bag, Egay. An
envelope with money and a letter with Councilor Reyes' signature.)

o Egay's eyes widen in fear.

Rona: Mao na. Si Tonyo Reyes ang utok niining tanan, dili ba? (That's it. Tonyo Reyes is
the mastermind behind all of this, isn't he?)

o Egay remains silent, defeated.

Scene 6: News Broadcast - Day

 Setting: A television screen showing a news report.

 Voiceover (News Reporter): ...Ang kapulisan nipahibalo karon nga ilang gidakop si
Konsehal Antonio Reyes human sa usa ka pag-atake kang Mayor Ricardo Vargas sa
merkado publiko kagahapon. Ang usa ka hired gunman ang nadakpan usab ug naghatag
na og testimonya nga naglambigit kang Konsehal Reyes sa plano nga pagpatay. (The
police have announced the arrest of Councilor Antonio Reyes following an attack on
Mayor Ricardo Vargas at the public market yesterday. A hired gunman was also
apprehended and has given testimony implicating Councilor Reyes in the assassination
plot.)
o Cut to: Mayor Vargas addressing the media, flanked by Benjo and Rona.

Mayor Vargas: Ako mapasalamaton sa atong kapulisan ug sa akong mga security team,
ilabina kang Benjo ug Rona, sa ilang pagpanalipod kanako. Kini usa ka leksyon nga ang
politika dili angay mahimong hinungdan sa pagbuhat og dautan. Magpadayon kita sa
pagserbisyo sa atong katawhan nga adunay kalinaw ug respeto sa usag usa. (I am grateful
to our police force and my security team, especially Benjo and Rona, for protecting me.
This is a lesson that politics should not be a reason to commit evil. Let us continue to
serve our people with peace and respect for one another.)

Scene 7: Mayor Vargas' Office - Day

 Setting: Mayor Vargas' office. He is talking to Benjo and Rona.

 Dialogue:

Mayor Vargas: Benjo, Rona, dako kaayo akong pasalamat ninyo. Giluwas ninyo ang
akong kinabuhi. (Benjo, Rona, I am deeply grateful to both of you. You saved my life.)

Benjo: Amo lang gibuhat ang among trabaho, Mayor. (We were just doing our job,
Mayor.)
 Rona: Apan kinahanglan pa gihapon ta magbantay, Mayor. Dili pa ta sigurado kung
aduna pay lain nga nalambigit. (But we still need to be vigilant, Mayor. We're not yet
sure if there are others involved.)

Mayor Vargas: Husto ka, Rona. Magpadayon kita sa pag-amping. Ang seguridad sa
atong katawhan ang labing importante. (You are right, Rona. Let's continue to be careful.
The safety of our people is the most important thing.)

o Benjo and Rona exchange a determined look, ready to continue their duty.

The End.