PNoy endorsed Mar on the last day of July, “in good taste”, as Mar’s “only lady” Korina Sanchez described.
The other ladies, mother Judy Araneta vda. de Roxas, and sister Ria Roxas vda. de Ojeda, proudly beamed when PNoy finally “anointed” Mar as his successor-to-be.
They had to beat the Chinese “ghost month”, or so Chiz Escudero stated in earlier interviews. Which means we cannot expect any declaration from either Grace or Chiz. Will she, will they… will have to wait until after the ghosts disappear and the mooncakes appear.
Technically, or so my Chinese feng shui expert texted, the ghost month begins 13 August and ends 12 September this year. But because some ghosts are early birds, best to do something “significant” before the ninth of August. And because some ghosts are slowpokes, and linger on earth even after their month of roaming terminates, better likewise to postpone such “significant” matters a week after the 12th of September.
If Grace and Chiz do not know these inauspicious timelines yet, then now they know. But Grace is “kapamilya” of movie actors and producers, who always make sure they launch their movies on auspicious dates. Some very good actors are sometimes unfairly considered box-office jinxes by producers and directors of the Mother Lily variety. And after all, Grace’s mother, that fine lady Susan Sonora, has Chinese ancestors from Negros.
Davao’s Digong Duterte quietly resumed his “listening tour” in Monkayo town in Davao del Norte at the same time PNoy was “anointing” his Mar last Friday, also an auspicious date for the Chinese. Not that I suppose Digong was aware of nor afraid of ghosts. The night before, a Southern Luzon city mayor and his council supped with the mayor in his “safest city”, and were enthralled by the fact that the tough-talking, fearless kilabot of the criminals was actually so charming and so friendly.
On Saturday, the first of August, Digong went to Cagayan de Oro, and on Sunday, to the lovely island of Camiguin where my friend JJ Romualdo holds court. And then he “invades” Luzon once more. He has taken a leave of absence from his chores as city mayor, and his “pushers” hope that by the time the “ghosts” leave planet earth, he will have made up his mind about running for the highest post in the land.
For those presidential drumbeaters who keep mentioning Duterte as a possible running-mate of their principals — perish the thought. The guy turned 70 last March 28, two years younger than Veep Binay. Both for Binay and Duterte, it’s 2016 or never.
So, when the “ghosts” disappear, the declarations begin. Not necessarily tandems, because it looks like who end up as as numero dos to the four presidentiables would be cliffhangers till the deadline of 16 October.
As I stated months ago, we should have at least four major presidential candidates to choose from come 2016.
As for the public pollsters, they will do their field research on or about the first week of September, and announce their findings on or about the end of the ghost month.
Albay governor Joey Salceda predicts a big bump for Mar, PNoy’s choice. In the last Pulse Asia survey where respondents were asked to choose who they would vote for had elections been held on the first week of June, Mar rated 10 percent, behind Duterte’s 15 percent, Binay’s much-reduced 22 percent, and Grace’s amazing 30 percent.
How would the four rate by the first days of September? Whom would be spooked by the ghosts, and whom would they favor? Salceda believes his guy Mar would be much favored, and would hit the 20s after PNoy’s much-awaited endorsement. After all, Roxas is from Capiz, if that’s what his soul-mate Joey means.
If so, where would the added votes come from? From Grace, if the “amazement” wears off somewhat? From Binay, whose reaction his family friend’s endorsement of his sworn enemy was an ungallant taunt? “People will recall that I already beat him before,” Binay reacted, with a smirk, while pumping flesh in John-Vic Remulla’s Cavite on the day the yellows flocked to Club Filipino.
Will Digong’s declarations that he was disinterested in the presidency affect his 15 percent two months back? Would his singing and dancing in Gandang Gabi Vice which reverberated in social media neutralize the negative impact (if any) of his denials? Or would his numbers increase, slowly but surely?
What would the September numbers of Mayor Erap be? Or Senadora Miriam’s? Or Ping Lacson’s? Would Pulse now include Bongbong Marcos in the large pool of its presidentiables, now that the pair of Oliver Lozano and Jose Malvar Villegas announced him as their choice? And if Pulse does, what would those numbers be? Enough to make Congresswoman Imelda smile widely? What about Alan Cayetano, whose infomercials have not stopped, well beyond the survey period?
The fog of seeming uncertainty will clear only after the ghosts have left.
Meanwhile, send in the ghosts. And enjoy their play.