The victory of Trillanes
The Arroyo administration helped Antonio Trillanes IV by
denying him bail. His imminent victory might also be interpreted as a victory
against Gloria Arroyo. If he wins the Senate race, the administration would have
gotten rid of one rebel who became a hero to the voters.
That is better than keeping him in jail. The dire possibility
that soldiers loyal to him will try to spring him out is also removed.
His victory is a judgment of the people. Therefore, the
rebellion charges against him should be dropped.
If he loses the race, the Arroyo administration should
release him just the same. Otherwise, Trillanes becomes a bigger hero. If he is
tried and convicted, he becomes a living martyr to the cause of democracy and
freedom.
Quite definitely, the Arroyo regime will continue to worry
about what his men and the rest of the soldiers might do.
The victory of Trillanes means repudiation of the Arroyo
administration. But it is also a victory.
The lesson to be learned is the more the Arroyo government
abuses those who want to express their grievances, the more Trillaneses it will
get. That is the lesson also shown in the victory of Peewee Trinidad as mayor of
Pasay City and Jejomar Binay of Makati. There are a few more of the persecuted
who ran and won.
The repudiation of GMA
Likely than not, Father "Among" Ed Panlilio will be the next
governor of Pampanga. He is in a tight race with Mark Lapid but the priest’s
edge appears comfortable enough to start thinking victory.
This is a shameful repudiation of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo by
the people of Pampanga. Her opponent beat her two candidates.
One would think that since the margin is rather thin,
cheating will make the day for Lapid.
Not really.
The people of Pampanga are all eyes on the counting of the
votes. If anybody tries something funny to make Lapid win, there could be
bloodshed.
I have been told by another priest the NPA and the AFP
rightists have warned against cheating Among.
If they do not heed the warning, there could be blood on
GMA’s hands.
Among is an independent candidate. His only asset is the
willingness of his people to die for him if he is cheated of victory.
You can’t have it all, Madame President.
Why PI 3 is possible
Based on the outcome of the elections as of this writing on
Tuesday evening, it appears that GMA will never be able to have the majority in
the Senate. The other dire possibility is that the Opposition might get 30
percent of all members of the House who can impeach her.
If she is impeached, the majority Opposition in the Senate
will definitely find her guilty.
So what can she do to avoid that horror of horrors?
I have been told by Malacañang insiders that she will again
push for a People’s Initiative.
The Senate will be abolished.
The chances of getting the Initiative approved by the Supreme
Court are better than ever before. At least two jurists – Chief Justice Reynato
Puno and Adolf Azcuna have expressed the view that PI is unacceptable because
the Constitution does not allow major amendments through this mode.
Changing the form of government from presidential to
unicameral-presidential skips this requirement.
I suspect that majority of the jurists just might agree to
it. Particularly if the Palace applies pressure.
Lakas vs Kampi
This time it could very well be Lakas versus Kampi for the
speakership of the House. Speaker Jose de Venecia, a Lakas stalwart, beat Benjie
Lim to a pulp in Dagupan City.
There was hardly any fight against Kampi’s Luis R.
Villafuerte in Naga City.
Villafuerte has served the President well. His name has never
been dragged into any anomaly.
On the other hand, De Venecia might have done more harm than
good to GMA. The way he handled the first People’s Initiative was so crude.
Example: His draft abolished the Senate on a "by-the-way" note.
Then he openly went begging the magistrates in a world forum
to approve his draft. He lost by a thin margin 8-7 in the Supreme Court.
But on motion for reconsideration, the vote was unanimous
against PI. De Venecia and GMA were roundly repudiated. Shamed, in fact.
This alone should give Villafuerte the edge. But then, the
fickle mind of Mrs. Arroyo tells me anything can happen.
No opium of the poor
We have always believed that "entertainment is the opium of
the poor." That is why in the past elections, popular actors won elections hands
down.
It is no longer true if one looks at how entertainers, actors
and actresses, were roundly beaten by their professional political rivals.
I take exception, though of Vilma Santos, new governor of my
province of Batangas. Yes, she won hands down for mayor of Lipa City. But she
did well. If she did not, she did not do much harm either.
So she easily won the contest for governor.
I hazard the guess that the reason for this is the harsh
reality that the movie industry is practically dead.
It used to be that a popular actor made about 15 or so movies
a year. This time, you put all of them together and I do not think they added up
to 15 so far this year.
They have lost following in the silver screen. They cannot
have political following.
Erap and Vilma Santos as well as the late Fernando Poe Jr.
were entertainers in a different era. That is long gone. Taken over by
television.
Why Connie Dy lost
The victory of Peewee Trinidad over Congresswoman Connie Dy
as mayor of Pasay tells a sad story.
I went for Connie because of her sterling performance as
congresswoman in that city. If she can win hands down as lawmaker, why should it
be difficult to be elected mayor?
I hazard the guess that Trinidad won because he was
persecuted by the Arroyo administration. Just like Mayor Binay and many others
who were suspended for no other reason but politics.
They came back with a vengeance. They won the election
handily.
On the other hand, Connie Dy, a very humble and industrious
woman, is identified with Gloria Arroyo.
Trinidad is not in the pink of health. I thought that voters of Pasay would
not vote for such a man. But they did, if only to show President Arroyo that
they hate her. They vented their ire on Connie Dy, her candidate.
