Presidential uncertainty

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) 1st Division, voting 2-0, unanimously junked last week three consolidated disqualification cases against presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., ending an impasse involving now retired commissioner Rowena Guanzon and the ponente, commissioner Aimee Ferolino.
    The petitioners can still appeal the cases before the Comelec en banc, all the way to the Supreme Court (SC), so it is still an uncertainty for supporters of Marcos.
    Political pundits are saying Marcos could do the patriotic thing by just withdrawing his certificate of candidacy. They say if he will win, he could still be disqualified later by the SC.
    On the other hand, if vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte will win and Marcos is disqualified, then it will be another six years of Duterte rule.
    They are wondering if this was the plan all along.
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Anyhow, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo shrugged off the Comelec decision.
     Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, said the Vice President was “on track” to win the top government post regardless of the poll body’s decision on the cases filed against Marcos’s presidential bid.
     “The disqualification was never a consideration,” Gutierrez said after media outlets reported the Comelec First Division’s 41-page decision.
    “From the time she (Robredo) announced her candidacy, she always intended to achieve victory in the elections. And with Tuesday’s explosive start to her campaign, it’s clear that she’s on track to do just that,” he said.
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According to the ruling — penned by Commissioner Ferolino and concurred by Commissioner Marlon Casquejo — the deprivation of one’s right to be voted for in any election should not be exercised whimsically and capriciously, lest “it will be preventing qualified candidates from pursuing a position in public office.”
    The poll body also cited the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in the case of the Republic of the Philippines vs Ferdinand R. Marcos 2nd and Imelda R. Marcos, where the High Tribunal categorically ruled that “a failure to file a tax return is not a crime involving moral turpitude.”
    Petitioners have vowed to challenge the First Division’s decision before the Comelec en banc, saying that they would “pursue this case to the very end.”
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Candidates for national positions kicked off the grueling three-month-long campaign period on Tuesday. Reports said Robredo spent the first two days of the campaign period in her home region, Bicol, whose residents warmly welcomed her and her ticket.
    Throngs of supporters on Tuesday night joined Robredo at the Plaza Quezon in Naga City, where she urged them to go all out for the 9 May elections.
    Robredo promised a people-centered leadership and a “new politics” championing those in the fringes of society.
    The lone presidential aspirant from Bicol would need all the help that she could get to beat frontrunner Marcos, who is also the top pick of Filipinos across all socio-economic classes, according to a Pulse Asia survey.
    A December 2021 survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed 53 percent of 2,400 respondents picked Marcos as their presidential bet, while 20 percent chose Robredo.
    Both Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso and Senator Manny Pacquiao received eight percent of the respondents’ approval. Senator Panfilo Lacson was at the bottom of the ranking with six percent.
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But then, surveys are surveys, and these could change in an instant. Besides, 2,400 people are minimal as compared to millions of the country’s voting populace,
    In Northern Luzon, Robredo’s supporters say her acceptability rating is going higher by the day. A lot of Ilocano groups have signified their support for her presidential run.
    They are now saying there is no such thing as a Solid North bloc, meaning people from the three regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley vote as one.
    This, even if some politicians are pushing for Marcos. Supporters of other presidential candidates say constituents particularly the masa, are getting educated on the truth on real issues, not on those peddled by fake news.
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The difference with Robredo’s camp, they say, is that it is local groups who on their own volition, are spending money, time and resources to convince people to vote for her on election day.
    This was evident in Baguio City last week when Leni’s supporters staged a motorcade here and nearby La Trinidad, Benguet, distributed leaflets and face masks, then fed folks with Lugaw, bread, among other food stuff.
    Her supporters are encouraging people to talk about her good qualities and qualifications like proven track record on governance.
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Facebook is now a battleground for the presidency and constituents are discussing these. Our perennially drunk neighborhood philosopher says, problem with some folks, they attack candidates But when they are asked what good attributes their candidate has, like the one from the North, they answer – “basta.”