Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte remains in the lead in the surveys, with Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party in third place. For vice president, Bongbong Marcos is ahead of Leni Robredo, the LP bet. Their rivals are expected to gang up on them as the campaign winds up today.
A Duterte and Bongbong victory means many big names in the LP will be charged in court for corruption. Since that will be a nightmare for the LP, party strategists are rethinking their options.
Analysts believe that since the surveys indicate that a Roxas victory is unlikely in a fair election, the LP strategists are considering manipulating the election results to favor Robredo. Once Robredo is installed as vice president, the LP will orchestrate the ouster of Duterte as president by impeachment, or through a carefully managed “people power” type of revolution instigated by LP leaders and Duterte’s rivals. It is also possible that some overzealous anti-Duterte forces may resort to extreme measures like arranging the “permanent disability” of Duterte.
Restated, the LP plan requires the ouster of Duterte so Robredo can succeed him as president.
Under a Robredo presidency, the LP can continue its wicked ways. In the end, therefore, what the Aquino administration cannot realize through Roxas, it will get through Robredo instead. By golly, that will be like reelecting President Aquino!
Analysts believe that the only way for the Duterte camp to prevent the LP from implementing its plan is to make sure that Robredo does not win. They postulate that since Bongbong is the strongest obstacle to a Robredo victory, then Duterte supporters (and anti-LP forces for that matter) will have to support Bongbong’s candidacy.
Since public office is a public trust, voters have the right to know the qualifications and, more importantly, the disqualifications of candidates for public office. The fact that many candidates have not been truthful to the electorate underscores the need to set the record straight.
Presidential candidate Grace Poe tried to give voters the impression that her husband renounced his American citizenship in front of a barangay chairman in San Juan City. That act has no legal effect. It has to be done at the United States Embassy to be valid.
Vice presidential contender Chiz Escudero denounces the martial law administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, but conceals the fact that his family was closely associated with President Marcos during that period.
Another vice presidential candidate, Antonio Trillanes IV, claims to be a champion of good government but he hides the fact that when he was still a soldier, he defied the Constitution he swore to defend, and led a mutiny against the government. His campaign is a sham because he has no presidential candidate and no senatorial lineup. His belated public accusations against Duterte are obviously last-minute attempts to take away votes from the latter.
Robredo lacks enough experience either as a national or a local executive to make her qualified for the vice presidency. When Robredo was interviewed on television last week, she was asked if she was interested in becoming president some day. She answered in the negative. Huh? Why then is she running for vice president in the first place? Obviously, Robredo doesn’t have any clear idea of why she is running for vice president.
Many senatorial candidates are just as questionable.
Jericho Petilla claims in his television advertisements that he wants cheaper electricity in the country. What hogwash! When Petilla was Energy Secretary under President Aquino, he favored increases in electricity rates. In 2014, after the Supreme Court issued a restraining order against an increase in Meralco rates, Petilla urged Meralco to oppose the order.
Juan Miguel Zubiri was once elected to the Senate but the Commission on Elections eventually unseated him. Zubiri denied being involved in any election anomaly, but he never explained why he willingly relinquished his Senate seat.
An advertisement which frequently appears in the newspapers promotes Gatchalian Lechon with the phrase “win ka sa sarap,” which sounds like Gatchalian’s campaign line. Gatchalian denied that this advertisement is part of his campaign, but he has not done anything to stop this indirect violation of the Fair Elections Act. Will Gatchalian allow an indirect violation of other laws if he is senator?
Former Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s campaign advertisements portray her as an advocate of justice. Really? When de Lima was DoJ Secretary, convicted drug lords enjoyed special privileges at the national penitentiary. Under her watch, the DoJ took several years just to resolve even simple cases. The Commission on Audit also disclosed that the DoJ, under de Lima, made illegal expenditures. Using public funds, De Lima went to Holland to attend the hearing in the Philippine arbitration case against China even if she had no role whatsoever in that hearing.
Francis Tolentino, the ex-chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, is the least qualified among the senatorial candidates. When he was MMDA chairman, the traffic mess in Metropolitan Manila was so bad that policemen of the Highway Patrol Group had to do his job for him. He also allowed traffic lights meant for Metropolitan Manila to end up in Bicol. Tolentino spent almost a million pesos to beautify a small rotunda in Pasay City which he knew was going to be demolished anyway. His dreams of running under the LP banner ended when he was identified with a political gathering which had scantily dressed female dancers for entertainers.
Manny Pacquiao must be made to account for his endless absences as a member of the House of Representatives, the salary he received for government work he did not do; and his recent boxing match which was broadcast on local television in violation of the Fair Elections Act.
There are many others who should be listed here, but there is not enough space for all of them.