OPINION-COLUMNS: Backbencher- Where Robredo is heading
“Has she distanced herself from the Liberal Party?”
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When Senator Lacson decided to name his political party “Partido Reporma,” he wisely avoided the nomination that would entail the selection of a front-runner. The voters are confused whether the senator who has been dubbed as “Mr. Clean” is referring to a party, or to indicate that reform came only after he declared himself a candidate, and his main target is to entice the voters referred to by him as gullible people. In such a case, Lacson’s concept of reforms is wholly intended to soothe the listening ears of the electorate.
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Let us begin with Vice President Leni Robredo. Many could not understand why she is talking to other potential presidential candidates when she should be talking instead to the Liberal Party headed by Francis Pangilinan, he being the party president. Notably, she has always been acting as though she represents the party, and not a mere creation of Noynoy and some political sycophants in the party.
Recall that it was the coalition of the yellow hypocrites made up of the arrogant oligarchy, the sacrilegious Catholic Church, the communists disguised as militant nationalist and owners of big US businesses or holders of the big stick that coagulated to prevent BBM from being elected vice-president. Robredo fought tooth and nail to defend her stolen position from being taken away. One Supreme Court magistrate even lost his shame and decency just to vouch in defense of a bogus vice president.
Now that election season is around the corner, Robredo is talking to would-be candidates outside the party ranks but within the vociferous opposition bloc. Senator Trillanes was particularly irked seeing horse trading in the political future of the opposition. Rumors are rife that Mar Roxas is dissatisfied with her acts, as though she alone were the candidate of the Liberal Party, leaving it to the losing candidates to lick their own wounds. Not even those bunch of religious hypocrites came to console him after that 2016 presidential debacle.
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Political aficionados could sense that Robredo has distanced herself from the Liberal Party. Roxas simply refused to acknowledge her de facto leadership based on what many believe as a de facto mandate that elected her as vice-president under the banner of the Liberal Party. It seems that Roxas is treating her as some kind of “echapwera.” This could easily be deduced, for understandably, she is a product of Noynoy Aquino to suit his own political whims.
Trillanes is opposed to the idea of Robredo taking in an outsider regarding the future plans of the opposition. His Magdalo Party feels it is being treated as an outsider despite their huge investment in organizing the party particularly in Bicol. Besides, taking in an outrider would automatically displace the ambition both of Trillanes and that of Vicente Sotto III, not say just how it will displace the longing ambition of Lacson to become president. Many suspect Robredo’s game of acting as a political butterfly is somewhat determined by her poor showing in the poll survey. She is hoping to gather enough supporters to save her from political obscurity.
All the years she served as vice president she has never managed to anchor herself politically on solid grounds. The political affiliation created by her handlers with the open support of the theocratic Catholic Church and the financial support of the US reflect much of the dwindling political influence of the US.
In fact, it is doubtful whether Lacson will hand over the party he pulled from the dustbin to anybody. It will be an insult to a man whose pride is bigger than his head. Remember, this will be the second time Lacson will run. He miserably lost to Arroyo in 2004. Before the party was resurrected, the party did not represent any elected official to debunk Lawson’s claim that the reform is an ongoing enterprise. The only party member who vouched for his candidacy was Renato de Villa who himself has long been politically hibernating. Vicente Sotto III is an outsider but contemplating to bolt from the National People’s Coalition (NPC) not to serve but to suit his ambition. Another is the much-discredited United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Jejomar Binay who wanted to fulfill the saying of “all in the family.”
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The one actively brokering Lacson’s candidacy is a losing politician, congressman Pantaleon Alvarez. Aside from having been politically insulated by the Duterte administration, all he does is gamble on his luck, hoping for a change of political wind. As one would quip, all is fair for the losers.
Many suspect Robredo wants to entice Lacson to join the Liberal Party. If she offers that adventure, that would spell the end of her political opportunism. Within the party, many feel that the LP is moving toward a different direction. The hypocrites in the LP are vehemently opposed to the idea. They see him as another representation of Duterte, except that he is staunchly an American stooge.
Should Lacson cave in to the enticement of Robredo, he will be dynamiting his own resurrected party. It would amount to the making of a real clown, much that it was Lacson who convinced Sotto to be his running mate. Sotto will be furious because it is like depriving him of the pinnacle of his career. From one who originated as a toilet comedian appropriately dubbed as “Iskul Bukol”, he ended up as the country’s Senate President.
As said, Robredo is truly having a fantasy. Many could not conceive she would go out of her way to convince Lacson to run under the Liberal Party. As one would say, even in the game of dirty politics, Robredo does not seem to have that instinctive craft of politics. If she is not even aware that the hypocritical Catholic Church will be forced to disown her.
Imagine the Church has to flaunt as totem pole her imaginary honesty and integrity to entice the voters and only to end up having as her running mate the principal suspect in the murder of 11 suspects including a minor in the Kuratong Baleleng case and the abduction and the murder of Dacer and Corbito. It would seem that all is fair in politics including one of dancing with the devil. Even the US will view it as nasty, seeing Robredo waltzing with Lacson whom they thought would parade for them on the issue of human rights violation of Duterte.
Trillanes himself is amazed that Robredo is eyeing to pick Lacson as her vice-presidential candidate. It is paradoxical — praising Lacson given the way she condemns Duterte. Maybe Robredo can forget Trillanes. After all, she treated the political ambition of the cashiered soldier as mere “boka boka” in politics.
The nagging and unresolved issue that confronts Robredo is how she can convince the remnant followers of Noynoy to coagulate with the LP to form a stronger alliance. Carpio and del Rosario’s formation of the 1Sambayan sprouted like mushrooms from nowhere. The political knot gets even more complicated by the resurrection of the Reporma Party which has also entered into alliances with other political parties like the NPC and UNA. 1Sambayan is one political grouping that would not easily abandon certain issues without losing the support of their brokers.
All these courtships among presidential candidates indicate that Robredo and the would-be dreamers for power have completely lost their political gyroscope. All have been marooned to just talking of frivolous issues like the issue of energy which they created and the budgetary expenses that keep on growing but ignoring the accomplishments of this administration. Many believe the debacle experienced by the Liberal Party in 2016 is about to be repeated. The passing of Noynoy Aquino resulted in Robredo ending up politically orphaned.
Finally, the 1Sambayan is one party promoting an anti-China policy. They fear that abandoning that policy would seriously affect the support and influence from their brokers. Internally, the 1Sambayan has no business scouting a presidential candidate when supposedly Robredo stands as the opposition’s natural candidate. This is foretelling that the LP has failed to rehabilitate its ideological outlook to overcome the challenges of emerging and from the dynamics of politics in this country.
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