“We should choose wisely.”
“We should choose wisely.”
There was no assurance, as of this writing Monday morning, that the scenario for the presidential and vice-presidential races would have been all settled with hours remaining until the actual Commission on Elections deadline for substitutions of candidates for the May 9, 2022 elections.
I would have missed my own deadline for this column if I waited all day for President Duterte’s supposed filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) for vice-president as awaited for by people intrigued by the possibility of him going head-to-head with his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Call it what you want, “farcical” or “lampoon” as the yellow and pink camps put it, but the turn of events have captivated national attention to the emergence of the formidable tandem of former-senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (BBM) and Inday Sara.
Inday Sara’s dramatic moves towards the realization of the “marriage made in heaven” have effectively drawn away public attention from the gutter politics, Cinderella tales and trash-talking of rival candidates at least for the weekend.
The BBM-Inday Sara partnership pushed through not without the romantic motif as it was sealed during the resplendent wedding of Sen. Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado’s daughter Gianna in which BBM and Inday Sara stood as principal sponsors.
It was on the same occasion that Inday Sara resigned as chairperson of the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) and joined the Lakas-CMD as officiated by Lakas-CMD President and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and party chairman Sen. Revilla.
After all, the 43-year old Davao City Mayor could not bear the tearful frustration of her die-hard supporters who wished for her to run for president, and she decided vying for the vice presidency may be the most appropriate stepping stone for the Presidency in 2028.
She proved true to her word that she is not interested in pursuing the presidency at this time.
Clearly, with Inday Sara as “adoptive running-mate” of BBM who runs under the banner Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and vice-versa BBM being Lakas-CMD’s adoptive standard-bearer, the “Dream Team” has come about with the support from both the Solid North and the South.
BBM and Inday Sara have alternately led various surveys on presidentiables.
But it is now up to the Filipino people to decide on their choices as to which top government executives would lead us through full rehabilitation and recovery from the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
There is no doubt BBM and Inday Sara both are capable leaders, backed by experience and guided by a vision of unifying the nation amid daunting post-pandemic global economic challenges.
BBM has assured us of his intention to continue the programs and projects of the Duterte administration, particularly the job generating Build, Build, Build infrastructure program, agricultural development and electrification program, among others.
Not to be discounted, the equally capable Senator Bong Go has also accepted PDP-Laban’s nomination as its standard-bearer awaiting his supposed running-mate, Manong Digong, to file his COC as of this writing.
It’s all up to the people to choose wisely now.