The armed forces crows over the liquidation of Jainal Antel Sali, also known as Abu Sulaiman (a “bomb ace” for Abu Sayyaf).. There will be caution over reprisals, of course. Anyway, public seems pleased as punch as does Uncle Sam. Rhetorical overkill follows, as usual.
The supposed Ebdane bandwagon is valiantly creaking along according to the Manila Standard-Today. But Newsbreak says the bandwagon’s gone bust: “National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor lead the new contenders for the post.”
The biofuels law is signed; happy days for sugar country.
The Speaker of the House says after elections, constitutional change will top their agenda. It remains to be seen if the Speaker will survive to reclaim his leadership: Newsbreak reports on the close and tough races in the House. A sampling from their list:
loilo City Sen. Franklin Drilon vs. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr.
Pangasinan (4th district) Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. vs. Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim.
Bukidnon (3rd district) Virgilio Garcillano vs. Socorro Acosta.
Isabela (2nd district) Gov. Grace Padaca vs. either Benjamin Dy or Faustino Dy Jr.
Manila (3rd district) Rep. Miles Roces vs former Rep. Harry Angping
Antique (lone district) Rep. Exequiel Javier vs ret. Gen. Robert Delfin
Nueva Ecija (4th district) Rep. Rodolfo Antonino vs former Rep. Raul Villareal
Today we have five views on the opposition’s senate slate. Billy Esposo says Arroyo and Erap show our political bankruptcy, which of course is true, but where will such a conclusion lead? Esposo has been passionately arguing that a “third force” is needed:
Many of the politicians I saw in the last press conference held by the United Opposition have already been rejected by voters. Remnants of the Marcos and the Estrada regimes, they are now trying to re-invent themselves under the new political climate that had evolved from the series of crises that have hounded the current regime of Madame Arroyo. Two of these are a dancing queen and a big promoter of showbiztocracy during the 2004 presidential election.
Had the Arroyo regime not generated so much stink, none of them would have entertained ideas of running again. They are waging bets that our outrage over the Arroyo regime can actually obliterate our memory of their past sins.
What makes them think we will want to welcome them back just because we can no longer stomach the one who now rules? What makes the United Opposition think that they are the only alternative? No rational person will want to vomit poison from inside his system only to replace it with another toxic substance.
But if Billy is going to use that analogy, that’s precisely what chemotherapy is about: you get rid of a cancer by literally poisoning the body and hoping the cancer dies first.
In his column, John Nery in We’ve been framed! seems sympathetic to Esposo’s view, as the current opposition slate threatens to sidestep what should be a referendum on the President’s legitimacy:
[W]e would be wrong to dismiss outright Defensor’s transparent attempt at redefining the political agenda, for the simple reason that it is an effective one.
It is, in fact, the right one, in the strategic sense. The President and her allies have everything to lose if the May elections were reduced to a virtual referendum on the Hello, Garci scandal. It is in their deepest interest to “change the subject:” to Charter change; to the Daniel Smith custody issue or (if the stars are correctly aligned) to a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement itself; to the proposed minimum wage increase. Or indeed, and as Defensor has telegraphed, to Edsa People Power II revisited: the struggle for power between Estrada, who left office in disgrace, and Arroyo, who will mark her sixth year in office this week.
My column, We saw the alternative, tries to point out that hammering away at the opposition only gives the administration slate a free (and undeserved) pass. The opposition is in the (unfair) position of an infantryman who charged a nest of machine guns, only to be given a pat on the back then told to fuck off. (My column also makes reference to a quote from the late Senator Gaudencio Antonino, in an article I hope you’ll read. Its description of the 1967 elections sounds like the 2007 polls.)
The Palace party line of course, is promoted by Emil Jurado who says the Palace slate is -or will be- characterized by A bias for fresh faces:
The administration apparently has a bias for young and idealistic senatorial candidates. It has good reasons.
First, there is a perception that the older politicians get, the more corrupt they become, seeking only self-aggrandizement without any notion for the common good. While there are exceptions, most people have stopped hoping that older politicians would ever reform.
The demographic profile of the 45 million or more Filipino voters this year shows that the 18 to 45 age group outnumber the elders (those 50 and above) 7 to 3. Most voters are young, hence the clamor for fresh faces.
Jurado conveniently forgets what Arsenio Lacson famously said of the young Ernesto Maceda: “So young and so…”
The United Opposition, at least, has one saving grace: it has experienced rejection by the people, and any politician who has faced rejection in the past is less likely to repeat his mistakes than one who thinks his every act of omission and commission has been vindicated at the polls. Who, then, will be more dangerous in the future, a resurrected dinosaur like John Osmeña, or a younger candidate like Miguel Zubiri who, if he wins, would learn that the crocodile tears he shed when the public nearly revolted over Con-Ass, were worth it? Which is not to say I’ve completely made up my mind: but I will confess to a bias against Zubiri at this point, and find myself more forgiving of say, John O.
The United Opposition at least, didn’t attempt to insult the voters by insisting, for example, on reviving the political fortunes of say, an Ernesto Maceda. And for all the “Oh My God They’re Running Vicente Sotto III!” screams we’re already hearing from the President’s core constituency, I’d like to know what gives them the right to complain when not only have Senators Lapid and Revilla been administration favorites, but that the Palace has gone off courting Richard Gomez, who didn’t get an opposition senate slot. Someone told me they saw Gomez grinning broadly on the news after his meeting with a Palace political operative.
In his column, Force or farce? political strategist Lito Banayo takes a strong exception to the creation of a “third force,” calling it a “third farce:”
At the end of the day, we will have the following “newly elected or newly re-elected senators”: Five re-electionists who are politically “workable”, two from the NP, one LP, one LDP and one independent. Two balik-Senado. Plus five from the kakampi menagerie.
They would hijack the elections, even before the campaign begins. Brilliant. Machiavellian. As deft as a Sun-Tzu battle maneuver. And the “united” opposition is out-maneuvered once again, all because they have a “surfeit” of applicants while there is what looks at first glance as a plague in the other house. Except that what you see is not what you get. Legerdemain, magic, mirrors, smokescreens, the “prestige”.
Which only goes to show the opposition is nervous about such a third force. But it remains to be seen who would comprise such a force -it could, indeed, be powerful, but why use it to attack the opposition, when it distracts attention from the real target, which should be the Palace?
[email protected] ponders these political difficulties. A Nagueño in the Blogosphere, does, too, and read as well, John Marzan’s reply to his post (I share his views on Allan Peter Cayetano and Chiz Escudero).
Overseas, Nikita Kruschev’s grandson comments on the impending demise of Fidel Castro; and the Nation of Thailand editorializes on the ongoing drafting of a new Thai constitution.
Technorati Tags: constitution, elections, military, philippines, politics, president, Senate, Thailand
Like most elections, this one is about choosing between two evils. We know we have to choose the lesser evil.
Now a third force, which some people propose as the way out of the evil of choosing between two lessers, looks tempting but we must bear in mind whether we want to take the risk of allowing the greater evil to win because our forces became divided.
The administration may come up with a few names that would be more acceptable than some of the names proposed by the UNO. All I can say to that is “Sayang, I will vote for them next time around when their election has no more bearing on the continued stay of Gloria in Malacanan.”
“Manila (3rd district) Rep. Miles Roces vs former Rep. Harry Angping”
Harry Angping? or Zenaida Angping, Harry’s wife?
Hindi na pwedeng tumakbo pa si Harry because of his citizenship status, diba, kahit na nanalo siya ng dalawang beses dati, lol.
ito yung yung part ng comment ko sa post ni willy.
From Willy Prilles:
http://www.nagueno.blogspot.com/2007/01/its-all-about-choice.html#comment-7786934809381825031
Thanks for reminding me about Roco’s party, Willy. Yes, I was in favor of that one. That’s a legitimate third party. An alternative choice against Arroyo and FPJ’s lineup. They lost, but I’m glad they participated.
Like you said, more choice. if batas mauricio, frank chavez, winnie monsod, or jay sonza decides to form themselves into an independent Third Party senatorial slate, i guess there’s nothing wrong with that, even though this third party will help arroyo more than hurt it.
But I want a REAL, ALTERNATIVE third party choice, not the one composed of and headed by former administration allies and collaborators like Sen. Noted, the fence-sitting Joker, Ralph Recto, Villar and the Palace Mole Ed Angara or other people currently associated with Arroyo. Because that’s NOT an independent alternative third party,but a trojan horse that will be funded by the Palace Bolantes.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/jan18/edbanayo.htm
anyway, here’s a third party list that’s credible.
http://www.iloilocityboy.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-2007-senate-wish-list.html
another one here.
http://www.quezon.ph/?p=1095
But I’m not gonna support an administration funded “Third Force” headed by former Arroyo allies and the same old, same old familiar faces.
I’m not going to vote for Arroyo’s candidates just because they’re young. it’s also about what the stand for. a garapal CON-ASS attempt? Kill impeachment and obstruct justice? Protect Arroyo and Garci? I’ll pass.
Kaya nga nandoon si alan peter cayetano at si chiz escudero eh. overall, the opposition coalition is trying to have a diverse moderate slate with a combination of youth, experience, leadership, and an ability to put differences aside and work together.
EDIT: I’m not going to vote for Arroyo’s candidates just because they’re young. it’s also about what they stand for. a garapal CON-ASS attempt? Kill impeachment and obstruct justice? Protect Arroyo and Garci? I’ll pass.
I’m willing to pinch my nose and vote straight UNO if only because UNO is the lesser evil
As far as I’m concerned, any Third Force now can only help arroyo, especially if they’re secretly being funded by Arroyo’s Bolantes.
you know what’s funny, the malacanang boys are trying to turn this into a GMA-Erap fight, pretty much using the erap bogeyman as a scapegoat again for everything that is messed up about this current administration.
But they don’t want to overdo it with the anti-erap rhetoric because baka mag-lash out ang masa sa mga bets ni ARroyo.
so every now and then, you’d hear these same malacanang people calling for “reconciliation” or “free erap”, obviously to pander to the masa supporters of erap.
Deliver one message to a specific audience. tailor another message to another group on a different day. a delicate balancing, straddling act that is fun to watch because they could fall flat on their face at any moment…
i wonder why the sandiganbayan had not issued a decision on the erap’s plunder case. are they waiting for the result of the election in may 2007?
funny, but this is an erap-gma fight. if erap’s candidates wins, gma is finished. she will be impeached and convicted by the senate and cases will be filed against her for plunder. if gma candidates wins, the sandiganbayan will arrive at a guilty verdict against erap and he (i hope) will rot in jail.
by-stander, it depends, in case of an admin victory, on the extent of that victory. if the victory is a slender one she will not permit a conviction.
Related to the topic, here are some of my previous comments on matters relating to the nature and motives of the third force:
https://www.quezon.ph/?p=1075#comment-177745
…and their potential role as trojan horses
https://www.quezon.ph/?p=1095#comment-263039
I believe the Erap case has taken so long or unreasonable delay. In any other Democracy, Erap could petition the Higher court for violation of his Constitutional Rights for Trial within Reasonable Time. And violation of an individual constitutional rights is enough to have all charges dismissed. And the state can not make excuses of defendant caused delays since it is always the onus on the state to proceed within “reasonable time”.
I wish the opposition will not field a third (3rd) slate of senatorial candidates. Third slate will greatly divide the opposition. Once a third slate is fielded, admin candidates are sure winners. The elections should show like what happened in the USA when democrats took the power from the republicans in both houses.
Also, the opposition needs to field a “TRAPO-LESS SLATE”. I believed younger blood will be better than “trapos”.
Divide and rule tactics is name of the game. Mrs. Gloria Arroyo may finance the alternative team as a spoiler. The so-called Third Force’ vote-splitting effect will only benefit Malacanang senatorial candidates. Philippine bogus President Gloria Arroyo needs at least six puppet senators to avoid impeachment trial and conviction by the Senate. Ross Perot denied President George Bush second term by taking independent and Republican votes.
The U.S. presidential election of 1992
Democratic Party Bill Clinton- 43.0%
Republican Party George Bush -37.4%
Independent Ross Perot – 18.9%
Texas billionaire Ross Perot’s almost 19% of the popular vote made him the most successful third-party presidential candidate in terms of popular vote since 1912.
like it or not, we’ve been framed already. the gma-versus-erap (g-v-e) frame will stick even if you say it’s not…for george lakoff’s moral 3 states that negating a frame evokes the frame.
now, this g-v-e will mean choosing the lesser of two evils…this will most likely produce a third force from which good might emanate and that a voter will most certainly accept. i don’t think a third force will benefit the opposition…especially if that additional force will field in people in the middle and/or secretly pro-admin!
i propose that the opposition reframe the mindset of the electorate and come up with a slate that no longer begs for another alternative force. continue the anti-gma platform and create a senatorial line-up of people perceived to be good and downright acceptable.
this gma-versus-erap frame should be erased only to be supplanted by Evil gma-versus-Good opposition frame.
Very good baycas.
Diego… Ross Perot took votes away from the incumbent’s Republican Party. To implement this strategy for May, one has to find why voters vote for GMA, and then to find a candidate that has almost same party-affiliation as or the same credentials as GMA so that this candidate can split the pro-GMA votes.
BUT… (1) GMA is not running; (2) party-affiliation has no meaning in the Philippines.
And no one has an answer to the question — How do you split the pro-GMA votes?
Can you imagine a candidate saying “I, too, am like GMA… except I did not talk to Garci”?
————-
This is like a Filipino candidate saying ‘I, too, want to be President… and I had never ever, and I will never ever ever talk to a Garci. I promise… and my politician promise is something you can depend on.”
Re: And no one has an answer to the question  How do you split the pro-GMA votes?
Good point. Who’s the strongest candidate in the GMA senatorial slate? Let’s choose Mike Defensor based on surveys. UNO’s Francis Ecudero and Alan Peter Cayetano may split Defensor’s votes. The three young candidates have an identical individual strength like youth, charisma and political experience. It’s true that party affiliation has no meaning to Filipino voters.
mlq3,
What I fear is that the administration will cheat then attribute GMA’s victory to the ‘silent majority’-civil society’s fear of Erap’s return by voting for the ‘third force’ or GMA.
In a GMA vs Erap frame, I think, the vote of the angry and hungry masa is huge enough to give UNO the number of votes to win, if counted correctly.
mlq3,
One Voice started the ‘frame-war’ with its “2007 elections as referendum on GMA’s legitimacy” proposition.
I warned that to ‘vote out’ GMA’s allies there must be a movement to draft alternative candidates to ‘vote in’.
The frame should have been pursued with an initiative or campaign to include a referendum for a snap election.
By this time a movement supporting alternative candidates should have already gained momentum.
A GMA vs Erap scenario looks like a no win situation for One Voice’s advocacy. Even One Voice and CBCP’s calls for electoral reforms were ignored.
Nandy Pacheco’s Kapatiran Movement, I believe, should have been supported by the church and ngos, pos and movements like One Voice. Kapatiran’s Quixotic call for an honest-to-goodness alternatve would in restrospect be another ‘missed call’, a missed opportunity for a revolution by means of an election.
And then.. someone hits the nail right in the head..
UPn Student is correct… there is no concrete political party in The Philippines, as the song goes… the parties are just blowing in the wind…
They form for the purpose of the elections and soon thereafter disintegrate until the next elections… no consistent platform, no consistent thoughts and agendas, just the creation of a party for party’s sake…
I have already made up my mind. Isa lang ang iboboto ko sa senado. Kahit ilang force pa ang ilagay nila. I’m just waiting for our town councilors.
The only blanks in my ballot that will be filled up are:
1. Senator
2. Party-list
3. Mayor
4. Vice Mayor
5. Councilors
Tipid di ba?
Here’s another way of looking at it: A so-called Third Force is probably what the Undecideds are looking for. Im assuming there’s a lot more of them than the hardline pro and anti GMAs. Im also assuming the Undecideds are composed of the ‘middles’ represented by such people as Mr. Austero, and not the ‘masa’ of Erap. Therefore it is possible that this Third Force, if legit, might take away from the GMA party’s votes.
On the contrary, I think framing the elections as an Arroyo vs Estrada fight would likely further solidify and strengthen the Estrada forces, with battle lines now clearer and well-defined– courtesy of the unwitting “framers”. Remember that for the core Estrada forces, this is a fight between good and evil– not a choice between lesser of two evils. The Arroyo side of the divide would more likely be thinned and weakened by their ambivalence on the qualities of their leaders. It is on this side where they grapple with the question of who is the lesser of two evils.
The Third Force though would be sidelined by the “framing”, like it or not, or yet be forced to make a revolting choice.
A Third Force is welcome. If it may yet win significantly, contrary to my prognostication, in the next elections after 2010 or so, we could be choosing between lesser of three evils, or perhaps we’d be looking for a Fourth Force then.
it is too late. the g-v-e frame will stick regardless of the oppositions efforts. the mass media will fan the flames of this proxy fight because of ratings. it is always exciting to watch a rematch than a good vs evil drama. just read the newspapers or watch ANC.
I agree. I believe that the concept of a third force is the refuge of those who believe that a better, trapo-less political system is possible, in itself a worthwhile goal that is a reflection of the middle’s idealism. So the question is, if UNO gets cheated, and the middle forces (or undecideds) tacitly accept GMA’s cheating, how are they able to reconcile this with such idealism?
While we may be dismayed by the framing of the election as “GMA vs Erap”, as long as the opposition insists on fielding die-hard Erap lackeys trapos, they will not get the support of those who wanted Erap ousted in the first place. This is regardless of how bad GMA gets, because people will want to maintain a sense of consistency in their actions. This is why the “GMA vs Erap” works: there are many people who simply cannot countenance going back to the days of Erap, Dilangalen, etc. GMA may be pretty bad, but Erap’s not much better.
So the only way the United Opposition can excite the people and have a real chance to win is for them to swallow their pride and field fresh, new candidates WHO ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS ERAP LOYALISTS. No more rejects, no more trapos. And once they are selected, Erap should refrain from endorsing them personally and publicly (the message of his support can be disseminated quietly to his mass base through his network of supporters). This way, it will be easier for those who fought Erap to stomach voting UNO. These people may, of course, really be sympathetic to Erap, but they cannot be seen as such if they are to be effective. And if asked what they think about Erap, their refrain should be, “Let justice run its course.” Period.
The problem, I think, is that many of the trapos in the opposition think, “If I can’t run, then why should I care about this so-called opposition?” They don’t realize that if they don’t fix this attitude, GMA will continue in power. It’s as simple as that. They have to do something really different, something unexpected, something exciting that will generate lots of buzz, or it’s all over.
Shouldn’t consistency be in terms of principles and not at personalities? I thought the motivation behind EDSA Dos was to bring back morality in government. When GMA betrayed this ideal, what reason is left for us to support her?
CVJ, I agree: we have no reason to support her. But a lot of people will not be able to bring themselves to write “Tito Sotto” or “JV Ejercito” on their ballot just to oust GMA. Which is why she is still there. And which is why the opposition has to try something different or continue to suffer the same fate.
well, my personal perspective has always been opposed to political parties. I am a believer in issue-by-issue coalitions, the rest of the time everyone should be a free agent, with the freedom to buck the leadership. but if you want party government, then go whole hog and restore block voting so that there will be iron-clad majorities.
jm, i agree, my misgivings with a third force that hasn’t even been formed, is that it serves to hit the opposition more than it will harm the administration, which will only open up the field to manipulation by the admin.
much as i admire nandy pacheco’s gunless society advocacy, i also have some misgivings about “ang kapatiran.” i do not believe in requiring a college education for candidates. if one of our problems is that too many sectors remain underrepresented or even unrepresented, then the requirements being thought of by ang kapatiran only establishes middle class and not representative government.
cjv, elections and politics are about *both* principles (or issues) *and* personalities. personalities will always be relevant because we’re talking about humans and a the most human of activities, politics.
nicholas, if you recall, most other parties around the world actually periodically reinvent their platforms -usually as they prepare to contest an election.
Mike, fair enough, i hope the opposition, if they are pragmatic, takes your advice into account before February 12. However, whatever happens, there will be a substantial number who will vote for UNO nonetheless. The question is, if GMA cheats once again, what then will be the stand of the middle? Will they just stand by just like what they have been doing since Hello Garci or will they do something different?
mlq3, i agree, but my issue with Mike’s statement was on people’s sense of consistency, not on politics in general or elections in particular. My take on consistency is based on your usage of the word in this post – https://www.quezon.ph/?p=477.
mlq3 says “… my personal perspective has always been opposed to political parties. I am a believer in issue-by-issue coalitions, the rest of the time everyone should be a free agent…” The words seem to describe the state of current Philippine politics — everyone is a free agent.
But free agent for what? And is it “free agent”, or “agent-for-a-fee”?
I prefer “consistency in principle”, which then results in consistency and predictability in action. The masa, in my mind, would also want candidates who stand for consistency in principle because free agents are beyond their means.
upn student, yes it does describe part of our present politics. the senate and our national politics are healthier or at least more democratic than the politics of the house of reps. and their relationship with the executive.
a candidate will -or should- run on certain core advocacies, and will be expected to pursue them. those are the principles, broadly expressed, that the candidate is accountable for. for example, i do believe a candidacy like flavier’s based on rural health, was more than enough reason to justify his career; roco’s identification with women’s causes; i voted for ramon magsaysay jr. for his honesty (personal characteristics) and in expectation he would pursue the crafting of laws to help entrepreneurs, etc.
i think, though, that party loyalty is generally unhealthy, and in crisis situations contrary to the national interest. we saw it in the behavior of the lower house which found its behavior limited by protecting the pork barrel (a specious excuse; they didn’t have the stomach for a fight, while senators equally interested in theirs didn’t let it stop their opposition). party loyalty and ideology in general are only tools for tyranny, this is strongly feel.
the question of “agents for a fee” is the electorate’s call: it is up to them to accept, reject, or gloss over a candidate’s record on setting aside principle and embracing turning their position into a way to make bribe money. ideology or party loyalty will never make for more honest officials, it will only make for officials who can plunder better together and then smash all opposition to their greed. or callousness.
so yes, your expression is more precise but the end i also desire to see.
And which is why the opposition has to try something different or continue to suffer the same fate.
try doing the supreme sacrifice of taking a back seat for a change…tito, t.a.o., john o. & the other ejercito should give up their slots. the first three are obviously rehash and may symbolize senate retrogression. as regards the latter, j.v. is flaming with youth which may symbolize progress but, i think, that is all he can offer…
more slots open for other deserving candidates…no need for a third force, therefore, there’ll be an UNO slate for the opposition.
The question is, if GMA cheats once again, what then will be the stand of the middle? Will they just stand by just like what they have been doing since Hello Garci or will they do something different?
they stood in the middle before they still can do it again. in my opinion, they were the ones who were glad gloria cheated in 2004 for they couldn’t erase their extreme abhorrence to erap et al. an erap-proxy senate slate will be outvoted and may be cheated to ensure an embarrassing erap defeat. the cheating will again be justified by the middle-grounders.
something different this is:
turn the g-v-e frame into the e-v-g (evil gma vs. good opposition) frame.
no choice for the lesser evil…
since the good shall always prevail.
try doing the supreme sacrifice of taking a back seat for a change…tito, t.a.o., john o. & the other ejercito should give up their slots. the first three are obviously rehash and may symbolize senate retrogression. as regards the latter, j.v. is flaming with youth which may symbolize progress but, i think, that is all he can offer…
more slots open for other deserving candidates…no need for a third force, therefore, there’ll be an UNO slate for the opposition.
they stood in the middle before they still can do it again. in my opinion, they were the ones who were glad gloria cheated in 2004 for they couldn’t erase their extreme abhorrence to erap et al. an erap-proxy senate slate will be outvoted and may be cheated to ensure an embarrassing erap defeat. the cheating will again be justified by the middle-grounders.
something different this is:
turn the g-v-e frame into the e-v-g (evil gma vs. good opposition) frame.
no choice for the lesser evil…
since the good shall always prevail.
The Senate should be abolished! It is becoming a family franchise of some sort:
Erap, then Loi, then Jingoy and now JV? Their maids and nannies are now so familiar with the Senate…they complain when the food serve there is not good enough!
The older Cayetano, and then Pia, and now Alan ( what are the credentials of Pia and Alan? because they are their father’s children?)
Pimentel, and now his son who can’t even win in Cagayan de Oro? he run twice there and lost!
The Defensors, Mirriam, then Mike?
And the Revillas…and now Richard Gomez.
Not to mention Lapid, Where is Retz Cortes…di ba sya kasali?
moks, if that is your criteria for wanting the senate abolished, without even waiting to see if the electorate will accept or reject them, then you should have called for the abolition of the house of representatives and the governorships and provincial boards and city mayors and city councils and barangay councils long, long, ago.
baycas, based on past behavior, i agree that what you have described is the most likely action that the middle-grounders will take, which to me, makes a travesty out of their call for a third force.
mlq, hahaha, what a flawless logic, you amaze me!
In antique, it doesn’t matter to GMA if it’s Javier or Delfin who will win. They are both hers.
i agree that this will be an erap vs gma showdown. Methinks, the opposition will win the senate 9-3.
benj, I think you are out of touch… is going to be 3 (oppsition) – 9 (admin).
with benj and moks votes (divided by 2), you get 6-6. Add cvj’s, the Opposition-share is higher. The Bencard (I think) vote ships the split back to 6-6. Ellen Tordesillas’ vote gives the edge to the Opposition.
But it is the Candidate-Group that takes the difficult effort of appealing to the hopes and concerns of the classes -C, -D, and -E segments that will get the lion-share of the senatorial (and congressional) seats that are up for grabs.