By ELLEN T.TORDESILLAS
IF the pre-election surveys are confirmed by Election Day votes, then it would be Rodrigo Duterte as president and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. as vice president.
It would be slap in the face of President Aquino who refuses to see that the Filipino people’s attraction to the tough- talking Duterte is an expression of their disgust for his government.
On the 30th anniversary of People Power revolution last Feb. 22, Aquino warned against electing the late dictator’s son. But Sen. Marcos popularity continued to surge even as the administration’s candidate, Leni Robredo, tries to catch up close.
Aquino is too engrossed trumpeting the 6.2 percent economic growth under his administration ignoring the frustration and anger of the people who have been derailed and missed by his “Tuwid na Daan” program.
His anointed, Mar Roxas, also misread the public pulse and promised the Filipino people of a continuation of “Tuwid na Daan.”
This was Roxas’ huge mistake. Journalist Junep Ocampo captured it in his succinct Facebook post: “If Mar loses in this election, it is only because of this: He tried to sell continuity to voters who were crying for change.”
Drastic change was what Duterte offered: eliminate criminals, the corrupt and illegal drug dealers in six months. How? He will kill them.
Duterte has mesmerized not only the poor but also the rich and the middle class who have long suffered the administration’s inefficiency most exemplified by the daily horrendous traffic, trains that breakdown frequently, and proliferation of snatchers and holduppers.
Facing the imminent rejection of his endorsed candidate, Aquino on Friday called for other candidates to unite against Duterte. Everybody knew the call was directed to Grace Poe, who is running a far second to Duterte in the surveys. Nobody thought of Vice President Jejomar Binay who is facing plunder charges together with his son, who has been ousted as Makati City mayor and replaced by Aquino’s partymate. Maybe Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who is waging a valiant campaign despite being under treatment of cancer.
“I am trying to get all of these different voices together and in that sense, perhaps help our candidate get together and have that united front,” Aquino told CNN Philippines.
Aquino’s mathematics: “Mayor Duterte has roughly 30 percent. That means he doesn’t have the 70 percent. …if it’s Mar or Grace that unite, we have more than 40 percent. That defeats the 30 percent.”
Roxas followed this up the next day through the media by inviting Poe to a talk. Seeing through the trap, Poe nixed the Roxas’ publicly announced call to talk. She doubted the sincerity of Roxas wondering why Roxas didn’t just text o call her when he very well knew her number.
In her speech at her miting de avance in Plaza Miranda Saturday, Poe recalled how Roxas group insulted her and tried to sabotage her candidacy. “Kung naalala ninyo, sila rin naman ang nagsampa ng kaso laban sa akin e. Sila rin naman ang nagpa-disqualify sa akin sa Korte Suprema. ‘Nung hindi gumana ‘yun at ako ay tumakbo, ngayon nakikita nila may banta sa kabila, may banta raw sa ating demokrasya kaya kailangan ako ay umatras.”
Poe said she will continue with her candidacy because of the commitments she made with her supporters.
Fellow Malaya columnist JB Baylon, a communication executive said it best in Facebook page with a post titled, “A hopeless lot whose time is up.”
“The President and the Secretary are a hopeless lot. Time and again they have shown their propensity to misread the public. And in their scripted call to Grace Poe to in effect back out ‘to save this country from dictatorship’ they again demonstrate that ‘skill’. One they have mastered in the last six years.
“It was a neat attempt to try to pin on Grace the ‘blame’ of a Duterte win. But it was stupidity 101 from the moment the Secretary opened his mouth.
“First, survey after survey show that Grace and not Mar is the preferred second choice of voters. Which means more Mar voters will go to Grace than Grace voters to Mar.
“Second, the reason why Duterte is up and Grace is second is simple: it is a protest vote against the status quo. To ask one candidate for change to back down and support a candidate for the status quo is idiocy.
“Third, and this is my personal take: you ask this woman to be your VP; when she spurns you, you throw the book at her forcing her to subject herself to the legal processes. She wins. And now you want her to back out? To save your necks?
“Tama Na. You’ve been “sure” all these time that the public loved Daang Matuwid. Why the panic now?
“Your time is up. Read the tea leaves.
“I support Grace Poe. All the way.
“And I support the will of the People whatever that will be.
“This is democracy. Even if heavily tinged with karma.”
To this, I say, Amen.
