MANILA TIMES OPINION: LAKAS PARTY IMPLODING
MANILA, NOVEMBER 8, 2009 (TIMES) By Marlen V. Ronquillo - What gestures are used to drive away an intruder, a wayward cat, an unwanted presence, a pest?It is either you slam a door or lock the gate or carry out gestures that graphically convey “you are unwanted.” Tsupi, tsu, alis dyan. Woe to the human being who may be at the receiving end of such uncivil, derisive gestures. I think the political gatekeepers of the Lakas-CMD did precisely that to former Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, when he tried to enter the pool of Lakas presidential nominees with the thought that he had what it takes to be the ruling coalition’s standard bearer in 2010. Ebdane calmly stated his plan to be in the pool of candidates—which every Filipino citizen who is 40 and above and is not barred by law from running—can do.
The gatekeepers looked at Ebdane with a mixture of disbelief and disdain—then promptly told to him to scoot, to scamper, to leave. As there was no place in the nomination process for somebody extremely qualified to be president.
As the door was locked, as he stood standing out in the cold, Ebdane made a decision that was impulsive but honorable: resign his post and find an avenue to fulfill his big dream of being president of the country.
But can Ebdane forget the contour of a smirk forming around the face of political adviser Gabriel Claudio when he was shoved out of the nomination process?
Probably not. Ebdane probably feels he has more smarts and talent than Claudio and the clique manning the political gates of the ruling political coalition.
The extreme humiliation suffered by Ebdane at the hands of the hubris-stricken leaders of the ruling coalition Lakas-CMD is a regular occurrence at Lakas and this does not bode well for the ruling party.
People with no history of winning big elections have taken over the job of selecting party candidates on the national level, the regional level and the provinces. The dictatorial choices and lack of consultation have been gnawing at the supposedly superior grass roots reach of the ruling coalition.
There is basis to the fears that Lakas is imploding because of the hubristic actions of the Lakas political gatekeepers, who have arrogantly taken over the selection process, alienating Lakas loyalists, more so the loyalists who know how to win elections.
The incessant sniping from the gatekeepers of Laka-CMD may have greatly influenced the decision of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno to just concentrate on his current job and forget all about his vice presidential quest. Puno was the preferred (and logical) VP candidate of the Lakas NEC, or national executive committee. A few days after the NEC expressed preference for Puno, Claudio and Prospero Pichay started making noise about exploring other VP options. Several names were floated but mostly the showbiz and unserious type. Puno probably felt bad because of the sniping from within. But who would not?
Puno, in contrast to the showbiz-oriented names floated by Pichay and Claudio, was the overseer of two successful presidential campaigns, Ramos in 1992 and Estrada in 1998. He was with the Arroyo campaign in 2004. He knows how to win elections and win big. But the treatment he got from the gatekeepers of Lakas, who have no history of winning in national elections, left him with only two choices: engage the gatekeepers in a political brawl that would bring a scandal to the party or to just let go of his dream to be VP. Puno opted for the 2nd choice.
Several die-hard Lakas loyalists and personal favorites of President Arroyo from the regions and the provinces—all proven winners—are now being eased out of the party by the same gatekeepers in favor of losers and political scalawags. Strong regional and party leaders have decided to leave Lakas and are quietly building alliances with other groups, other coalitions. Lakas is now being stripped of its core strength—leaders who can command votes.
It is possible that Lakas will atrophy into a shell party by the time campaigning for 2010 shifts to full gear.
An implosion is taking place and no one seems to be plugging in the waves of defection and disenchantment that is gnawing at the core strength of Lakas.
Poor Gibo Teodoro. The political juggernaut that he thinks is behind him is now steadily losing all the warm bodies that can deliver votes—the choicest component of the Lakas machinery. Come May, he will find out that Lakas has gone from a political monolith that can smother the opposition even with just half of its brute force unleashed, into a shell party run by clueless political hacks.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2009
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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