OPINION: ERAP RUNNING FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS!
MANILA, OCTOBER 31, 2009 (STAR) SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit S. Avila - Allow me to react to Philippine STAR’s headline last Monday, “Gibo-Gwen Tandem Emerging for Lakas” , which I’ve read on my PAL flight from Bangkok to Manila. I have always known that Cebu Gov. Gwen F. Garcia wasn’t interested in running for Vice-President (or any national position for that matter) because she wanted to complete her three-term or stint as Cebu’s only Lady Governor. There’s no doubt that Gov. Gwen has the capability to be Veep because like Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA), she’s a workaholic whose motto is in Bisaya, “Ang buhat, dili sulti maoy ang pasulti-on” (Let work, not words speak for itself).But Gov. Gwen didn’t become Governor because she’s stupid. Right now, no one has come out in the open to challenge her for the Governorship of Cebu, although her political critics or enemies have already suggested names like Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano or recently resigned Cebu City Councilor Hilario Davide III. But no takers. That’s because she has done for the Province of Cebu more than all the previous Governors combined. I got that quote from her father, former Governor Pablo Garcia.
If she accepted to be the running mate of Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr., or say even with Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, it is no guarantee that she would win over the leading Vice-Presidential candidate, which is Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, who after all set aside his ambitions for the Presidency in order to make way for Noynoy Aquino. This is why Mar Roxas is literally a shoo-in for the Vice-Presidency. Although I cannot say this for Noynoy whose popularity is centered in Metro Manila.
While I will not dispute the recent surveys that put Noynoy ahead of everyone, however allow me to point to you recent political history… that all front runners in the last three elections since the end of Tita Cory’s reign fell and lost their Presidential bids. For instance, the late Speaker Ramon “Monching” Mitra Jr. was ahead in the polls, but in the end, it was Gen. Fidel V. Ramos who won the Presidency. Only convicted former Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada was ahead of the polls from day one and won his bid.
In the 2004 Presidential race, it was the late Sen. Raul Roco who was ahead of everyone in the polls, to the point that former Cebu Governor Emilio “Lito” Osmeña gave his all out support for Sen. Roco’s Presidential bid, but then, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won that race. Sure, everyone cried out that she cheated in that race… but then, this is the normal reaction of politicians who lose their election bids. As you know, no one in this country loses… all of them were cheated!
There is no question that the 2010 Presidential elections will be a watershed in our political history, because it would determine whether we would have six years of the same stagnating Philippines…or we would elect a leader whose purpose is to reform whatever ails this nation. By this, I mean a real and genuine political, economic and social reform. Whoever is the man who has a plan to reform this nation, he is the man who should lead this country because what we need is change for the betterment of our people.
Take the case of convicted and eventually pardoned former Pres. Erap. He is running for the most selfish reason in the world… to redeem himself from his conviction as a plunderer. In short, he is running not to help make the Philippines a better nation, but to supposedly correct the wrongs that he did in the past? I think it’s too late for Erap to undo what he did. Right now he is lagging in the polls… so let him run, because I predict that he’ll lose anyway and end up crying… that he was cheated!
The case of Erap is the direct result of a hastily made 1987 Constitution that glorifies selfish and greedy politicians who use the name of the “Masang Filipino” to promote their real political objective which is “Me, Myself & I politics”. If the Filipino people vote Erap into office again… then we can only blame no one but ourselves… for shooting ourselves in the foot!
If only we brought back the two-party system, like what we had in the old 1935 Constitution (the best Constitution we’ve ever had), we’d have more politicians lining up in only two political parties, parties that are dedicated to develop new leaders who must pass their selection processes.
Today, thanks to our multi-party system, we have only developed irresponsible politicians, who run for public office because of their popularity. Of course, there are exceptions and one of them is Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, who found her new niche as a public servant, not an entertainer. When Filipinos wake up to the reality that we must go into real reforms and not focus on who will be the next driver of our decrepit Philippine Bus, then we should elect a leader with a plan… not one who has yet to make his plans.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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