“The firing gun is just three months away, and would-be candidates had better decide before the ghosts come marching in exactly a month from now”
THOSE who took the vice president’s political announcement about three Dutertes running for senator in the mid-terms are now wondering what the game plan of the VP and her family is.
I never seriously believed the VP’s claim of tres Dutertes and I gave it short shrift in last Monday’s column.
But wait, the veep is also delivering a message, subliminal it seems.
Her potential rival for 2028 who says he is not considering a presidential run but whose numbers statistically tie with Inday Sara, has two brothers who also want to run for the Senate.
So the veep is playing: if there can be three Tulfos, why not three Duterte’s? And now that the patriarch himself has said Sara just took us for a ride, will both Erwin and Ben insist on joining their brother in the Senate?
Two are common practice these days; three may be a bit too much.
All these present family affairs stem from dynastic practice — two siblings had a president for father, another had a speaker and senate president as progenitors, the other inherited his seat from another now deceased senate president, and who has just been announced as Inday Sara’s replacement at DepEd.
With them as well, we have three whose fathers were senators at one time, one whose father was senate president and president for the longest time, and one who had a vice president as family patriarch.
With the exception of Loren, Risa, Grace, Raffy, Bong Go and Bato, all others come from political families who hold sway over a province, a district or a city. Thus far, only Risa, Grace, Bong Go and Bato are not yet carving their new family dynasty.
Now let’s go to the games that are about to begin.
The administration’s “unity” ticket is almost complete as we write. Unity is the new ideology of Bagong Pilipinas, and let’s forgive our president for mistaking an “ideal” for ideology, present goal to a set of binding principles.
Our sources name the following BP candidates:
Re-electionists Bong Revilla, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Francis Tolentino and Imee Marcos; come-backing Tito Sotto and perhaps Ping Lacson, who has yet to decide whether to run or retire in his farm, plus the Pacman; DILG secretary Benhur Abalos, party-list representative Erwin Tulfo, and Rep. Camille Villar who shall replace mom Cynthia and join brother Mark.
That adds up to nine or 10 already.
The Bagong Pilipinas “unity” team has three Nacionalistas, three NPCs, one Federalista, one PDP, one Lakas and maybe one independent.
One Nacionalista who could give some luster to the once august chamber is Medal of Valor awardee Ariel Querubin, but, as of this writing, his inclusion in the “unity” ticket is still in limbo.
Neither is former senator and “macho bloc” member Gringo Honasan.
This merry mix is what the president considers proof the “Uniteam” is still alive, only with a different cast of players, many of whom I doubt will want to sing the Bagong Pilipinas anthem after the elections.
From the pink-yellows who now fly different flags, we have come-backing Kiko Pangilinan, Bam Aquino and Chel Diokno, perhaps Leila de Lima too. They refuse to be co-opted by either Davao or Ilocos.
The PDP has re-electionists Bong Go and Bato de la Rosa, plus actor Philip Salvador, likely former BbM ES Atty. Vic Rodriguez thus far.
As I wrote last Monday, Davao Mayor Baste could be the only Duterte to run for senator next year.
VP Sara may or may not endorse any senatorial candidate, though how can she not support her bosom buddy Imee, who risks being junked by some trapos because of her declared loyalty to the Duterte brand?
Aksyon Demokratiko’s Isko Moreno, the over-achieving former mayor of Manila, is not keen on a Senate run even if his survey numbers are good.
Doers are better off not joining talkers.
Doc Willy Ong is hesitant, as the expense of a run are quite daunting and he is not in the habit of asking for contributions.
Of course there are other aspirants, but long lists bore me.
And because some think they cannot co-exist on the same platform as others, don’t expect that silly practice of “common candidates” this time, as in “namamangka sa maraming ilog.”
The firing gun is just tree months away, and would-be candidates had better decide before the ghosts come marching in exactly a month from now.