"I still hope for the day when voters will use mind over heart in making choices for important political positions that affect their daily dreadful lives."
The circus has come to town. Beginning with their opening salvos, their proclamation rallies, the senatorial circus-circus has indeed arrived.
For the next 90 days, the performers will do virtually anything to win the public minds, and sadly, their hearts.
Sadly?
A woman was asked in a random street interview: “Will you vote for Bong Revilla as senator?”
“Oo, siyempre” was the instant reply.
“Bakit?”
“Kasi pogi s’ya!”
And of course there is Jinggoy Estrada who in the latest poll surveys is inside the Magic 12, but outside the winning circle is his brother Joseph Victor or JV.
Pundits are almost unanimous in saying that it’s because Jinggoy used to be in the movies, while JV never dabbled in the art that made their father, the former president and now mayor of the country’s capital city, a legend both in cinema and politics.
Elections in this country are no different than show business. Patok sa takilya, panalo!
But of course I am being sarcastic. I still hope for the day when voters will use mind over heart in making choices for important political positions that affect their daily dreadful lives.
Meanwhile, the “tickets” or senatorial slates formed are like a lotto combination.
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has 13 nominees for 12 seats up for grabs. Bong Go of course is on top of her list. And then Bato de la Rosa, Francis Tolentino, Sajid Mangudadatu, plus re-electionists Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara, Koko Pimentel, JV Ejercito, and returning Pia Cayetano. To which she adds Imee Marcos, Jinggoy, and another Bong (Revilla) plus Jiggy Manicad.
Trece? Si, trece!
Hindi ba malas ang trese? Malas talaga, if the voters make the mistake of shading 13 ovals in the ballot corresponding to the names of the candidates. It will be a spoiled ballot. Talo lahat!
Which is why the Davao City mayora explains that people should choose only 12 out of her list. Leave one out, whoever you do not like.
Numero uno in most every survey, unless Cynthia Villar upends her in the end, is Grace Poe, whom voters always remember each time they watch Ang Probinsyano of Coco Martin and Susan Roces. FPJ na naman!
But wait, closely trailing Grace and Cynthia is Lito Lapid, who has metamorphosed from Leon Guerrero to Ang Pinuno in the blockbuster telenovela which was conceptualized to coincide with the presidential campaign of 2016, when the owners of ABS-CBN wanted to “create” a president to their own liking. For some reason the Lopezes thought Mar Roxas, P-Noy’s annointee, would not win the hearts of voters (never mind their minds), so they created Grace.
What they did not expect was that a certain Digong from the boondocks of Mindanao would come out and dash their hopes for empire. He he he!
Lito Lapid “died” in Ang Probinsyano, and that’s supposed to get the voters to cry along with Coco Martin, all the way to May.
In his last episode, he was Leon Guerrero once more, astride a horse, chasing, and killing with a pistol a gang of bandits with Armalites on the back of 150 horsepower pick-ups. Mirabile dictu!
So now, there will be two more votes in the Senate when ABS-CBN fights to get its franchise renewed next year.
But Poe was alone when she launched her re-election candidacy. Uno para una sa balota.
But Tito Sen, the Senate President wants to campaign for his dabarkads, the re-electionists. That means Grace, Cynthia, Nancy Binay, JV, Sonny and Koko, even Bam Aquino of the opposition. Plus of course Pinuno, who now belongs to Tito Sen’s Nationalist People’s Coalition.
The Liberals have a different number – Otso, which among the Chinese is a lucky number, because it is a symbol of prosperity. So they coined the monicker, Otso Diretso. But alas, the surveys tell us only two of the Otso Diretso gang have a chance of making it come May 13. Trese na naman?
RRD of course has his own list, and it leaves out some of daughter Inday Sara’s thirteen.
We begin with the ones who are his first choices: the ever-loyal and ever-sipag, whose bisyo is serbisyo, Bong Go.
And Bato, his first PNP chief, of course. And Francis Tolentino, his younger “tol”. Sajid Mangudadatu, his bradir from Muslim Mindanao, and Freddie Aguilar, the singer who gained international recognition for his melancholic “Anak.”
ust five? Ah, not really, because to the initial five he adds Pia Cayetano, the sister of his loyal Alan, who seeks to be congressman once more, and speaker of the HoR eventually.
And re-electionists Cynthia V, Sonny A, Koko P and JV. Plus Imee Marcos.
That makes for 10. But my title in this article says 11. Well, it was eleven until he decided to drop Jinggoy from the list. The ostensible reason is that he and Bong Revilla were “late” to apply.
Confused?
Ten or eleven, the President always said he was poor in arithmetic anyway. That’s why he took up law at San Beda instead of economics or engineering.
Why not add Bam Aquino, Mr. President? Oposisyon nga, pero taga-Davao naman ang mommy niya, ‘di ba?
Now if all my numbers don’t add up, sorry, I was never good at arithmetic either. That’s why I am trying hard to be a writer.
