medyo di ako makapaniwala na maaaring hindi si mar roxas ang i-annoint ni presidente aquino na kandidato ng liberal party sa 2016. parang walang-utang-na-loob ang dating nito sa akin. kahit pa sabihing mar had no choice but to put off his own plans of running for president given the clamor for noynoy in 2009 in the wake of cory’s demise. because mar could have handled it differently, he could have resisted some, he could have tried to convince cory’s kids, and nation, na maigi kung mag-VP muna si noynoy, get into the groove, ika nga.
hindi naman kaila sa ating mga beterano sa bantay-pulitika na noynoy was kind of a non-performer in congress during his three terms in the lower house and half-term in the senate. ang tsismis pa nga e kung hindi siya ipinangampanya ni cory at ni kris nuong 1998, 2001, 2004, at 2007 ay wala siyang panalo.
my favorite anecdote about his days in the lower house was told by no less than bff butch abad in some tv show after cory’s death but before he, noynoy, became a candidate for president.
say ni butch abad, a close friend of the family, nagkasabay sila ni noynoy sa house of reps (malamang nuong panahon ni gloria kung kailan usong uso ang televised debates and hearings). kung minsan daw, tinatawagan siya ni cory, na nanonood pala, at itinatanong kung nasaan si noynoy, bakit wala si noynoy, and butch would daw say, baka ho natutulog pa. or something to that effect. of course such stories stopped the moment he decided to run.
bentang-benta kay noynoy noon, just as bentang-benta kay grace ngayon, ang notion na it’s now or never. run while the clamor is insane. but imagine if noynoy had run for VP muna and campaigned like hell for mar — tiyak, tumba pa rin si erap. then he could have asked president mar for the mindanao portfolio, since napaka-dear-to-his-heart pala ang bangsamoro, and used the 6 years to quietly do his homework, due diligence ika nga. what a powerpacked 2016 inaugural it could have been if he had surprised the nation with a report on his meetings with ALL factions in the autonomous region and he would be certifying as urgent his own draft proposal for a revitalized ARMM.
i know. pipe dream. water under the bridge. right now, the question is, what is all this panliligaw kay grace poe all about? is he seriously considering sidelining, instead of throwing all his support behind, mar roxas? the more the prez keeps the nation hanging, the more i wonder if he might do a cory, who did not feel obliged to honor any promises made to doy laurel when he gave way to her and slid down to VP back in ’85-’86.
what intrigues me most though is that grace seems most receptive to the president’s advances — kilig to the bones? — even as she has started to echo the yellow army’s anti-binay sentiments. what i really want to know is where she stands on chacha, especially proposed amendments to economic provisions. or maybe we should be asking chiz. argh.
Most interesting musings. I don’t really think that Mr. Aquino had much of a choice about presidency as the demand for him was loud and clear, and it was for President. The President to me seems methodical and careful, and maybe a little mischievous, so keeps everyone wondering about his pick. I doubt that his meeting with Poe was much more than feeling out her interest for joining LP (she rebuffed him, which suggests that, even if she echoes the yellow army about VP, she is not wowed by power) or for being VP. I would add that it is not just the yellow army that is against Binay, it is anyone who watched the hearings and recognized what a scurrilous thieving, lying rat the VP has turned out to be.
That said, I agree that Poe is a bit hoity toity, highly political, not as transparent as she pretends to be, most likely a trapo, and talks well.
Hmmm, would he risk anointing one who might just turn out to be his father’s nemesis’ daughter as persistent rumors go? I think if at all he wants to utilize her popularity in some way and more importantly to keep her within the ranks and out of the hands of the Opposition. So, Veep at the most. Or she keeps out of the race, campaigns for Roxas and she gets to be Senate President.
I enjoy kidding the Yellows that PNoy will eventually anoint BNay because whatever you say of BNay, he was/is/will always be a dependable Aquino loyalist. When push comes to shove, BNay can be counted upon to come to the rescue. Roxas? Well, what can one say? He seems a good man but has wasted most of his appeal for appearing a weakling, compounded by his disastrous showing with the DOTC, DILG or wherever he was assigned. On the other hand, PNoy must just give him his anointment para naman hindi magmukhang nuknukang napakawalang-utang na loob hahaha while keeping quiet as his Uncle Peping and the Sisters maneuver in the background for the ever-loyal BNay