THE MOUNTAINEER

Premature politicking
EDISON L. BADDAL

BONTOC, Mountain Province – It is still 26 months to go before the next presidential elections but this early the political opposition and the administration circles are gearing up for battle. The opposition is using erstwhile president Erap as its rallying symbol as it is raring to unseat the administration in the next showdown.

Curiously, political has-beens whose fortunes dipped and took a turn for the worst after Erap’s ouster in 2001 are barnstorming urban areas and countrysides with the quondam president to feel the extent of mass support for the opposition. In all likelihood, this is a litmus test to gauge the strength of the opposition since Erap’s ouster following his unprecedented election in 1998 and the debacle of the 2004 presidential candidacy of Fernando Poe,Jr. This is nothing to say of the evaluation of mass support in their known opposition bailiwicks in the aftermath of
EDSA II.

At this juncture, the political atmosphere is abuzz with the presidential schemes of some prominent political personalities whose plans were kept under wraps but was the subject nonetheless in media circles in stifled murmurs. Since the incipience of the current dispensation they were already considered presidential timbers as they were patently harboring presidential ambitions.

Others who are expected to be in the bandwagon, are decidedly noncommittal and coy about their presidential plan. This is despite their statements and actuations seeming to belie said plan. They are probably fence-sitting while biding for the right time to divulge their intention to join the presidential race. The wannabees who have been the subject of speculations to be nurturing presidential ambition in the past are now making their intention obvious. In fact, several of them have openly declared their desire to gun for the presidency.

Among others, aside from such open declaration, they are in the process of consolidating political forces like contacts with political leaders and mending fences with past rivals. This is true with the scion of a landed gentry who made no bones about his presidential intention as well as a taipan whose awe-inspiring tale of magnificent conquest of poverty through hard work and gumption is one for the books.

Money, being a critical factor in electoral success, these moneyed wannabees are already making a random list of their senatorial line-ups, local organizations and mass bases. Others not blessed financially but who are entertaining schemes for the presidency as well are making themselves visible through the media for easier recall election time comes around. In fact, one is ingenious enough to concoct a political advertisement where he made a pitch for the maintenance of the integrity of the Commission on Elections as a body.

Having enough savvy on the dynamics of Philippine elections and effective ways by which to suck the will of the voters, he professed in his spiel that the integrity of the Comelec as an institution will certainly strengthen democracy. He accentuated that the election body as a tool for democratizing politics and governance should be above suspicion of any irregularity. Another wannabee is attempting to tick with the voters by drumbeating his good works.

Although this strategy is uncalled for having made waves years ago as a no-nonsense official when he assumed his office, the approaching elections is a fillip for him to intensify his good works Trying to succeed by all means where his predecessors miserably failed, he seems to present himself as the consummate action-oriented and principled leader. Shanties regarded as eyesores along street sides and riverbanks were demolished as he wanted to make the streets in the metropolis safe and convenient for users.

When questioned if his candidacy won’t be prejudiced by his unwavering campaign to rid the sidewalk of illegal vendors not even sparing pet projects of politicians, he replied sententiously that he would rather lose votes than be charged of negligence in his job. Expectedly, his uncompromising campaign earned him the ire of sidewalk vendors and the vexation of petty
politicians. But, on the other hand, he gained the support of the motorists, pedestrians, traffic enforcers and passers-by.

Presumptively, it could have been a calculated risk on his part as the number of sidewalk vendors he got rid of and squatters whose shoddy dwellings he demolished won’t count
much in achieving victory in the coming polls. Another presidentiable, an administration stalwart who is considered the shoo-in administration candidate.is flaunting his centerpiece
program via TV. His centerpiece program is the provision of decent homes to homeless Filipinos, including slum dwellers. His exposure to media for several years before he threw his hat into the political ring in 2001 gave him enough savvy in the power of the media in name recall.

Adding advantage to his media exposure is the housing backlog numbering into a hundred of thousands which needs urgent attention. Pledging houses to homeless persons, especially in urban centers, and promising decent houses to slum dwellers is a potent election come-on what with his tangible accomplishments in the area. His service to OFW concerns is not to be belittled either as 8 million migrant workers and their kin is no doubt a force to reckon with.

What’s so abhorrent, contemptible, degrading and downright nauseating is the reported plan of Erap to push for a Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla tandem come 2010 for the two
topmost positions in the country. Either he is teasing or attempting to put one over the
Filipinos as proven by his disastrous presidency and FPJ’s fruitless presidential candidacy
in 2004, is anybody’s guess.

Heaven forbid! If such nincompoops will become part of the contending teams come 2010 then God save the Philippines.Shades of a drunken conversation that Erap hadhad with his late friend, FPJ,
when he tried to convince the latter to run for political office. Erap was then the Mayor of San Juan. Accordingly, Erap proposed that if the two of them will pan out in their political careers, they will be in control of politics in Metro Manila.

FPJ then did not have any desire of entering politics until 2004 when he was forced to run for president more to extricate Erap from his legal troubles than for noble public service. Who knows if this his way of realizing such frivolous, drunken statement by using the duo in which Jinggoy is his son while Bong is a godson. Having been elected on the strength of their popularity, Jinggoy and Bong (including Lito Lapid) were among those senators denounced by Senator Defensor as having no
place in the senate for their incompetence. Senator Lacson recently urged showbiz personalities, in light of Estrada’s purported political ploy for 2010, to forget politics as the voters have become
wiser now given the failure of Vic Sotto, Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez to get elected
last May, 2007.

At this point, many problems in public service are crying for solutions and playing politics is out of the question. Economic recovery is the primeval concern of the day.The strengthening of the national economy is being threatened due to economic slump of the US economy.

The US is the chief trading partner of the Philippines and any slump in its economy will have negative repercussions in the national economy despite the sanguine picture being
portrayed by economists. No matter the soundness of the so-called economic fundamentals
of the national economy, it will surely flounder if the US economic slump will prolong.

Coupled with the continued moribund economy of Japan, another RP trading partner, economic
recovery will be back to square one. Simply put, politicking, even while it is the nation’s
favorite pastime, should take the backseat as it has simply no space at this time.

Only the best efforts to sustain the economy on its track in the face global economic weakening is the best politicking that should concern both administration and the opposition forces if their avowed love for the country is truly in their hearts.