Filipino Voters: Duterte and his Quixotic quest to rid crime off RP in six months

Thousands of Filipino voters are shifting and considering Rody Duterte as their candidate because of his promise to rid the Philippines of crime within 3 to six months. This is a very nice promise.

My questions are:

1. Duterte does not provide any strategy on how to curb or eliminate criminality except his prescription of "death to the criminals." My question is---who are those criminals? Where would Duterte base his intelligence to identify exactly who these crime lords are? We all know that our justice system is itself flawed. Where will he base his intelligence? Is he suggesting the "bayong justice system", similar to those days under the Japanese when Pinoys fingerpoint others, just on mere heresay?

Without any standard, the chances of killing an innocent person are high.

1.1. We are all attracted by his proposal. Duterte's camp are livid because more and more people are going to their camp, attracted by his quick fix suggestion. My question is---with this quick fix, will we also see the rise of human rights violations? Likewise, Duterte probably does not know it, but he is actually building and encouraging the creation of a very dangerous force--the force of the mob---just to get rid of a problem which is essentially the dark effects of a very dystropic system.

For Duterte to get rid of crime lords, he must first rectify the very system that breeds criminality.

2. Duterte vows to get rid of crime lords and even political enemies of the state at the first six months of his term. My fear is---Duterte is like Pandora, opening a chest full of malevolent forces which are capable of committing despicable things. If Duterte does this, he will unleash hell that would impact greatly on our economy. Of course, these vice lords are not your usual street thugs. They are sophisticated. They are rich. They are influential. They could cause instability and destabilize our economy so much that this will surely impact on the quality of life of every Filipino family. Think about it.

As what History has often told us---violence begets violence. And when one sparks a fire, it always lead to a conflagration.

2.1. If Duterte fails, would he do a Santiago--meaning, stay on and tell us that he was only bluffing when he vowed to get rid of crime within six months. With this, we will only blame ourselves for electing him and will suffer with him for the next six years.

Yes, getting rid of crime for six months is a very enchanting and a very sweet proposition, so sweet indeed that it probably would cause us all to get political diabetes.

3. Duterte says the solution to crime is leadership. I am not questioning his leadership, but leadership begins at home. Did he even exerted leadership to his domestic affairs? Then, why did he separated from his first wife--the very first person who questioned him?

4. I fear that we are creating a somewhat "cult personality" around Duterte which could prove to be disastrous for us in the end. Yes, we are afraid of the spread of drug addiction. Yes, we are sick and tired of criminality and yes, enough with mismanagement and service mediocracy.

We often try to provide only two options to our problems and most often than not, due to our impatience and our desire to get ourselves out of the rut, we often choose the extreme--and Duterte represents the extreme option--as we think he is.

It is alright to choose the extreme provided that that choice would not lead us further to perdition. It is alright if that choice provides us with a clear-cut way out of the rut such as an ideology which guides us towards a clear direction.

With Duterte, we are provided with a mob solution---clear the pathways towards progress by executing criminals and grafters. How? By eliminating them. Who are "them" ? Where do we find "them"? How do we do the "elimination"? BY the courts or by our hands? Who gave us the right to punish and to reward?

Duterte often pepper his speech sorties with an exhortation for a revolution. The question pertinent to this is--what is this revolution? Is this the version which the progressive middle forces try to sell us for a very long time? What is the basis of this revolution?

These are questions which Duterte and his camp should provide us the answers--otherwise, we will again be beguiled by a sweet talker who projects himself as a toughie because he already allegedly killed someone or a group of toughies in the area.

Are we voting for Duterte as mayor or as President? Are we voting Duterte as barangay captain or as a Chief Executive? The thing Duterte is selling us is a skill most often by a soldier, a cop or a general, never a President.

A President is supposed to provide a sophisticated solution to our myriad of problems. Quick fixes often bring societies like us to the depths of more despair and more problems. History taught us to spot those who lured people to quick fixes and eventually led them to the abyss. And there are so many.

Hitler rose at a time similar to ours. Looked at how he led the Germans to their deaths. Pol Pot was another lesson. Marcos is another one, who, unfortunately Duterte looks up to as his idol.

Had Duterte promised to lead the process of revolutionary change, and not project himself only as an amateur rabble rouser, I might probably be convinced to vote for him.

Had I stayed as a wide-eyed optimist and idealist, without a 5-year experience confronting grafters and vice lords and syndicate members and looking straight in their criminal eyes, I might probably join the shouting mob, and shout "Duterte for president."

Unfortunately, my eyes are now opened wide, wide enough to spot a fraud when I see one. Me and my group, we already made a big mistake supporting someone who promised change but had no courage to replace those close to him that made the change difficult.

Grace Poe-Llamanzares' intellectual dishonesty destroying FPJ's legacy

In one of the social gatherings I attended these past few days, one of my friends asked me “what’s my beef with Grace Poe-Llamanzares” and why is it that most of the blogs I wrote for the past few months were devoted to her?

I answered back with a matter-o-factly statement---I am angry with her because of her intellectual dishonesty which is destroying the name of her deceased adoptive father, the late FPJ whom I supported way back in 2004.

Like what Poe-Llamanzares told the media just recently---she is asserting that she is Filipino and is qualified to run for the presidency.

Mrs. Llamanzares, plu-lezz, spare us the awa effect.

There is no question that you are Filipino but to assert that you are qualified to run for the presidency smacks of your intellectual dishonesty.

You know for a fact that (1) even though you are Filipino, you are not natural-born according to what the Constitution defines a natural-born Filipino citizen is; and (2) you lack the residency requirements as what the law clearly says.

Spare us the awa effect that any decision about your case would affect Millions of foundlings in this country. According to government statistics, there is but 0.0001% foundlings here, and not all of them are running for the presidency.

Besides, any ruling about your status would not even touch or affect the right of a foundling to run for public office. You know what this issue is all about—it is all about the limitations set by the Constitution on those who want to aspire for the presidency. A foundling can run for a local post but posts like the senatorial, vice and presidential posts—these are reserved only for natural born Filipino citizen.

I would admit as to your being a Filipino citizen but as to you being a natural-born one, that is the one that is most contentious.

No one is disputing that you are qualified to run—but not for the senatorial, vice and presidential positions, for these positions are, again, reserved for natural-born Filipinos. Is this discriminatory? No. For election to an office is not a right, but is a privilege accorded by the Constitution to those who want to serve the Filipino people, and not Big Business.

Millions are asking—why are you so adamant in running for the highest post in the land? Anong meron at masyado kang gung-ho ngayon? Is it because of the millions San Miguel is pouring to your campaign?

Everyone knows that you still have 2022 for you, and by that time, you probably had stayed longer here and probably a law had already been passed which clarified the state position on foundlings. I sincerely don't know if the public remains as sympathetic to you by then, but sincerely, I think there is still some who will choose you over another.

You know why your ratings are going south as fast as a speed train? Because people are now seeing the real You--it is being revealed bit by bit, with how you conduct yourself during this time. They are being exposed to the real you---a budding trapo, pretending to sympathize with us, poor Filipinos, when, in truth and in fact, the very reason why you are running is because of your desire to help your financiers who are spending tons of monies with hopes of recouping their investments when you win.

Let the people decide? That's a stupid call. How would they decide on your case when the very issue is your real status as a candidate? If the poll body or even the Supreme Court allows such a candidate like you to run, then, that'll be the Day, when every single unqualified Filipino applicant for the top posts would howl to the high heavens and ask that even their names be included in the poll ballot.

On Grace Poe's DQ case defense--a lost cause

" Grace Poe-Llamanzares, mabigat dalhin," shares one of my friends, a financier of the presumptuous presidential candidate, Grace Natividad Militar a.k.a. Grace Poe-Llamanzares. Uncertainty now clouds Grace Poe's presidential campaign. And her PR handlers are working overtime just so the public does not realize this.

Don't underestimate the Filipino voter. Don't even mock us. Everyone knows of Poe-Llamanzares' predicament, and what her PR handlers do not know is that the complexion of this campaign has already changed. Yes, it is now a sticky issue. And it would stick to her until the very end. 

It is just a waste of time spending time for her demise---Grace Poe-Llamanzares' defense is a lost cause. She is now becoming a very threat to her own viability as a candidate. Because the more she defends herself, the more she exposes herself for nasty comments. 

One thing--Grace Poe-Llamanzares, in previous months, tried very hard to convince us that everything is fine, and her defense is strong because she will present DNA evidence of her being a Filipino. Now, this defense has crumbled. 

Grace Poe-Llamanzares just admitted it in the DZMM interview that the efforts of her legal team for her to submit a DNA evidence to finally resolve the disqualification cases against her, turned out to be "negative." What the Poe camp is trying to tell us is that Poe is abandoning the submission of a DNA report to buttress her claim that she is a natural-born Filipino citizen.

So now, after several weeks of her election lawyer, George Garcia, going around town announcing that they are CONFIDENT that that DNA report would put to rest questions about her true status, here comes the principal dousing water off Garcia's propaganda, and telling everyone that they are not submitting any DNA report afterall.

That explains why her legal team is now employing dilatory tactics, because they now recognize that they have a weak case. Is Grace Poe-Llamanzares laying the ground work for her eventual pullout of the race?

I pity Grace Poe. She does not realize that she is now slowly being dragged down by this case. Of course, her handlers especially those who handle her PR, are trying very hard to soften the blow, and project a brave front for Grace, but Grace Poe herself, if you listen to her voice, seems resigned to her eventual loss. 

The fact is, Poe-Llamanzares' PR handlers are just wasting her monies because the other camp, the camp of Lito David, I heard, is not even paying media and is not even campaigning against her. David's camp does not have money, plain and simple, for a costly media war. Yet, David is winning.

The reason really is simple---David's camp is just waiting for the death knell which he expects to happen very soon. Why kick a dead horse? Or why even lift a finger against someone whose fates have already been decided by the gods? The strength of David's arguments have stuck, like sticky rice, in the palate of our justices, and no amount of propaganda is enough to erase this.

Grace Poe and her friends do not realize that her entire life, not just her political front, is at stake here. Sometimes, Poe-Llamanzares is still adamant that her case is similar to the case encountered by her father, FPJ. That is crap.

FPJ's case is a simple citizenship issue, while hers is all about her true status as a "natural-born" Filipino citizen, a requirement by the 1987 Constitution for those who want to run as president. Mrs. Llamanzares wants to project that she is being bullied by the same man (Justice Antonio Carpio) who previously issued a contrary opinion regarding FPJ's citizenship case. This is again, crap.

As they say, those whom the gods wanted destroyed, they first make them crazy.

For the benefit of Grace Poe-Llamanzares, she should wake up from all these fantasy, and assess her situation before it is too late.

Is Grace Poe-Llamanzares prepared to lose EVERYTHING, every single thing she had worked for all these years? Are her financiers ready to also lose theirs?

What her lawyers are hoping for is to drag this case up to May when they will just pray for a win, a miracle win, perhaps to erase these cases from the courts.

Lawyer Macalintal and George Garcia already publicly announced their strategy on how to extricate Grace Poe-Llamanzares from this legal rut---wait for the elections. If she wins, she will definitely file a manifestation asking these courts to erase all these charges because the people have already spoken. That is a fat chance.

Or should I say, a very presumptuous and costly, gamble.

Partido Galing at Puso---we surely have sunk so very low

Today is the saddest episode of our history. Those three decades of labor, of trying to raise the ante of political consciousness among our people, of bringing the elections to a higher level—all of these are now destroyed.  Zilch. And most of us expected it to come from the likes of an Erap but from an Escudero and a Poe-Llamanzares whom we expected to be better and more intelligent than the former president? We have sunk so low and all because of the selfish quests by these two people for personal glory.

I am now thinking of finding a job once more abroad, because I really am afraid the minute this tandem wins—expect another six years of lackluster government service, of service for their corporate backers and of giving the crumbs again to us, ordinary citizens.

Today, Poe-Llamanzares-Escudero launched a political party called Partido Galing at Puso or PGP which is the acronym really for either Partidong Grace Poe or President Grace Poe. Its quite obvious that this loose grouping was patterned after how movie producers choose their actors and actresses—without regard for the movie theme but on the individual thespian skills of those going thru the screening process.

Or, of how cult leaders name their religious groups—either representing their own names or initials of their names, and placing God somewhere in the middle or in the first.

At a time when every single one of us was hoping to raise the level of political consciousness and therefore, aid in the maturity of our country as a polity, here comes a so-called party which is nothing more than a tea party to be frank.

Actually, this Partido Galing at Puso (PGP or Pangulong Grace Poe) is nothing more than a personality cult, a loose grouping of various personalities with their own personal agendas, trying to form a comfortable consensus based on their own personal skills and “love for the poor” while scheming against each other, and like crabs trying to scratch their way to the last few slots.

At a time when our people need some sense of direction and vision to aid us for the next six years, here comes a so-called “aggrupation” that promises nothing but a name culled from a movie title, a political party which is formed from a slogan which means absolutely nothing about governance, about dynamics of politics, about the economy, about anything!

Partido Galing at Puso is the symbol of how politicians regard us voters—that we are stupid, we are an emotional people and we are politically immature—therefore we are fit to be treated as trash and given a party that is actually not a party but a hodge-podge of several personalities who already gave their statements of support for the cult figure, who, obviously is Grace Poe.

Partido Galing at Puso is not a political party but a movie, with Grace Poe as the main actress and along with her retinue of bit players, or supporting actors and actreeses. Let me correct myself---Partido Galing at Puso is actually a movie of a love team composed of Poe and Escudero. And the rest are supporting actors and actresses recruited to give some sense of respect and some credence to a tandem formed out of political convenience.

Let me correct myself--- the reason why these people were chosen to fill in the senatorial slate with the exception of some is plain and simple political use-ability. Note how the slate was mostly filled by people whom for the past 30 years had proven themselves skilled in the fine art of the Propaganda—a creative plan by the tandem that in the event they lose, these two would surely cry foul and use their arsenal for creating critical mass.

Ask them what they intend to do for the next six years and you’ll be given motherhood statements, statements which we have heard for over fifty-five years already from the same political stooges of Big Business---poverty alleviation, give education to the youth, develop infrastructure, yada-yada-yada.

Ask them how would they do it, what is the game plan, the action plan, so to speak, and you’ll be given a very cryptic remark---thru our galing (skill) and puso (heart).WTF!

Had I known that it would only take having some skill and some compassion one is already fit for the job as president, I would have taken the time and campaigned six years ago and probably filed a COC for the highest executive post of the land, and hope that I’ll win with a mere slogan lifted from a movie script of the eighties.

Poe-Llamanzares and Escudero probably watched every episode of Aldub and believed that the best way to win is by transforming every voter into an emotional zombie and hope that in every step of the way, there is an episode which makes voters so engrossed, they would even cry on the way to the polling precincts.

What a sad day indeed for us! Who will you vote for? Ah, I’ll vote straight Partido Galing at Puso. Huh? Why? I don’t know. Saan sila magaling? Saan ang kanilang mga puso? Are you telling me that Atty Kapunan cares for the poor when she helped PDAF queen Napoles in her bid to extricate herself from the pork barrel mess?

I am preparing to pack my bags and leave. This country is going to the rapacious dogs, the very same species who got rich during the dictatorship.

Why Rody Duterte did not file his COC for the Presidency

BREAKING NEWS! Like what I told you in my earlier posts, Davao City mayor Rody Duterte just filed his COC for the presidency in the nick of time. He flew from Palawan, went straight to Manila Hotel and after a few minutes, rode a car and went straight to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) offices in Manila. 

Nah...that's not what happened. Duterte flew in and went straight to Manila Hotel to grant interviews. He says he is not filing for the presidency, and can you blame him?

We have a mama's boy and a long time dreamer (Mar Roxas), a suspected thief (Binay), a foreigner (Poe), a mental case who will definitely sign a declaration of war against China the minute she gets elected (Santiago), a formerly accused corrupt Congressman (Syjuco), a former Ambassador who nearly went toe-to-toe with a former mayor now aspiring to become Senator (Seneres), a barangay captain (Dino), a man called by aliens, another called by Lucifer/Satan, another one called by god, some by angels, another chief of the intergalactic federation and a Martian--all aspiring for the top post.

You---do you want to see your name included in this list? Now, will you blame Davao mayor Rody Duterte for not filing his Certificate of Candidacy?

Duterte is the man of the Filipino Masses

Rody Duterte should realize that millions of ordinary Filipinos are banking on him to lead the country for the next six years. That this is a desperate call, a yearning if you may, by many for him to do his duty as a Citizen. Yes, Duterte as an officer of the Court, an enforcer of the law, should heed this call. Think of our times as so desperate and so like we are at war, and we are duty bound to protect and safeguard the welfare of the people against those who want nothing more than the pursuit of the economic interests of their financiers. 

Among those who are strong enough to launch a nationwide campaign, only Duterte does not have any oligarch behind him. Let us analyze these candidates one by one.

Mar Roxas is backed by Spanish mestizos, oligarchs of old, whose bloodlines go way back to the 15th century, a time when we were still being enslaved by these Spanish colonials. The fact is, Mar's class roots go way back, to the time of his ancestors who were the wealthiest Spanish families in the land. Wealth protection made his family interconnect with other wealthy families and that explains why Roxas' supporters belong to the top four billionaire families in Asia. The fact is, their wealth is estimated in the billions of DOLLARS, not merely pesos.

The Ayalas who protect and finance the presidential run of their relative, Mar Roxas, is involved in 13 MAJOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS, mostly infrastructure projects which the Aquino administration had allocated budgets close to 1.3 trillion pesos.

Contesting the Ayalas in the PPP game is San Miguel Corporation's Ramon Ang. Ang, together with the Zamora brothers, are behind the run of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Senator Chiz Escudero.

San Miguel's owners are men who believe in destiny---they think that it is their destiny to transform SMC as the biggest conglomerate not just in the Philippines but in Asia. They represent one group of the Oligarchy in the Philippines--the Chinese mestizos. SMC used to be owned by most Spanish mestizos, yet with the entry of Danding Cojuangco, who belonged to a rich Chinese mestizo family in Tarlac, it was transformed as the only company owned by a partnership between the Spanish, American (Zobel's) and Chinese (Cojuangco). I likened SMC as similar to the play and role of the United Fruit Company (UFC) which dominated even the political landscape of several South American countries in the sixties, seventies even in the 21st century.

SMC is not just a beverage company---it has expanded into several other fields, which include infrastructure development, property and real estate, manufacturing, even in telecommunications. Notice that most of their businesses are under regulation, hence, hold in government is crucial to their success in the business field.

Why do they want a Grace Poe to become president, even if they know that Poe is inexperienced, is unprepared and is really blind on the dynamics of Philippine politics? They want an uncontested monopoly of power, that is. Who'll benefit from a Poe run? You guessed right---Escudero, the long-time political stooge of Cojuangco and Ang.

Imagine if they manage to successfully get ALL PPP projects---that is a trillion peso infusion into their corporate coffers. Likewise, SMC will get the most prized possession of all---the rich TAMPAKAN MINES IN COTABATO which SMC has been salivating since it was discovered during the period of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

How about Vice mayor Jejomar Binay? Any Big Business interests backing his campaign? Yes, he has his, yet these people belonged to the nationalist bourgeoisie and we may be safe if Binay wins.

This is similar to Duterte. He does not have any big business interests backing him which is okey, since it is already proven in several elections that underdogs like him stands a chance of winning. Because inspite of the vast economic power being wielded by these oligarchs, in a fair elections, such popular candidates do stand a chance against heavily organized ones.

Look at how Fidel Valdez Ramos was able to snatch the presidency away from a Mitra and a Cojuangco in 1992, or how a Benigno Aquino was able to win inspite of the billions spent by a Villar. This may happen in 2016.

Many Nuisance candidates for the presidency? Blame Grace Poe-Llamanzares

People are asking me why the unusual rise in numbers of people filing their CoCs for president. From the freakish to the qualified, thirty seven individuals have already intimated their desire to serve their country "as president." Some say, they were called upon by heaven, while one was called by Satan to throw his hat unto the presidential ring. This is the first time that the list of presidentiables went this long.

Many believe that this is a sign that many people are so desperate that they think that they need to count themselves in the service of the Nation. Is our condition so deplorable that ordinary citizens are "rising up", so to speak, to express their willingness to "serve the country." Or, as what Ted Failon put in, probably many people have skipped a meal or two more often than before.

Of course, many of these people who have filed probably lost their marbles. Some maybe want nothing more than see themselves in television. I don't know what happened to the likes of Syjuco or Sabio or even Rizalito David. These are sensible people, yet they filed candidacies for the presidency.

Comelec chairman Andy Bautista and the rest of the Commissioners have a tough task before them. The Constitution lays down the requisites for those who want to run for president, and the requisites are simple. Some Supreme Court cases, however, gave the poll body some "discretions" like the capability to launch a national campaign (meaning, do they have monies to spend), and the network to back them up during their campaign. These things are outside the contemplation of the Constitution.

Now, here is the thing---will the Comelec disqualify the multi-millionaire Syjuco who filed his bid for the presidency and allow Grace Poe-Llamanzares to run? Syjuco has proven himself capable of launching an electoral campaign, having won at least twice a seat in Congress. He is a legitimate businessman. Will the Comelec declare him a nuisance candidate?

Compared to Poe-Llamanzares, Syjuco has experience in politics and is a natural-born Filipino.

How about David who is being backed by members of the Kapatiran Party? The Kapatiran Party has proven in two elections that they are capable of launching a nation-wide campaign. Don't tell me that they will declare David as a nuisance candidate?

For me, the long list of presidentiables just proves that they are many people out there who, like Grace Poe-Llamanzares, have similar desires to serve the people, yet are not qualified to run.

Yes, being able to read and write, and being way past forty five are not enough. Yet, in determining who is a nuisance or a serious candidate, will the Comelec use the popularity wild card as another condition?

If they do, then, why declare Atty. Pamatong, for example, as a nuisance? Every single Filipino knows that name. He is popular. Don't tell me that Poe-Llamanzares is more qualified than Pamatong?

This is the problem. Nabilog kasi masyado ang ulo nitong si Grace Poe-Llamanzares that she thinks based only on her popularity, she can turn things around all by her lonesome.

There are two things going against Poe-Llamanzares--questions about her being a natural-born Filipino citizen and lack of residency status.

This is the very reason why she is again, another nuisance who will try to make a mockery of our laws just to satiate her ego. Enuf said.

Grace Poe should learn from Apo Mabini

You know why people are now thinking twice of supporting Grace Poe? Two reasons: first, she thinks like she's Wonderwoman, the glamorous version of Joan of Arc, out on a mission to "continue the legacy of her father".

Ask her--what legacy is she talking about? Her father is an accomplished thespian, the King of Filipino movies, the darling of the masses. FPJ did what a Marlon Brando did to Hollywood, or a Pierce Bronson to action movies.

His legacy is in enriching Filipino arts and culture. If Grace Poe wants to continue her father's "legacy", then, she's in the wrong business. She should continue her post as MTRCB or better yet, run for the presidency of MOWELFUND or assume the presidency of FPJ Productions.

The second reason is the most important---Poe abandoned her Filipino citizenship. Poe gave a reason that it was "love of family"---that's why she did it. She renounced her being a Filipino "out of love" for her family.

Out of love? Is it because your husband is a full-blooded American (not raised, but born). Poe says it did not diminish her love for her country.

Pooh. Bull. Crap.

Grace Poe should take a cue from what Filipino patriot Apolinario Mabini did a century hence.

Mabini was one of the officials of the First Philippine Republic under the traitor Emilio Aguinaldo. When Aguinaldo was arrested, the executioner of the Supremo became the executioner of thousands of Filipino patriots fighting under the Katipunan banner.

Aguinaldo obviously did nothing to abandon his Filipino citizenship but what he did was worst---he betrayed once more the Katipunan and cooperated with the new Colonialists--the Americans. He was no lame person, but what he did is more than being crippled--Aguinaldo was crippled in his mind and heart.

When Mabini was arrested, he was exiled to Guam. After spending his sentence. Mabini went back. He was offered American citizenship but he refused. Mabini at that time was already physically disabled. He could have lived a prosperous life, filled with love and monies and everything he needed. He refused.

When Poe elected to abandon her being Filipino, it was a conscious choice, not a matter of life and death. It was that easy for Poe---contrast that to Mabini who, until his last grasp, was asking for freedom. And freed he surely became.

Citizenship is a trifling matter for Poe. But for millions of Filipinos who both stay here and those working abroad, being Filipino is the next best thing that happened to them since the arrival of Facebook.

Bongbong Marcos runs for VP (and might possibly win)

Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is probably praying very hard right now. Instead of just running for another term as Senator, Bongbong decided to throw his hat onto the vice presidential derby. Whoever advised him to do it probably thought that the political atmosphere is ripe for another Marcos in Malacanang. Or, he was advised to end his maturing political career in a premature way.

A loss come 2016 would end the young Marcos' ambition to get the prized crown once more. Everyone knows how hard it is to campaign for the presidency without a platform. Bongbong would have to spend so much more if he wants the presidency.

What is another six years of waiting? By that time, Bongbong would be 64 years old and the political situation more favorable for him than any other candidate. By 2022, there is still no visible political heavyweight strong enough to counter Bongbong's cruise to the presidency. Who would dare a Marcos run? Escudero? No chance. Pangilinan? Are you kidding? A son of former president Estrada? Who? JV or Jinggoy? They don't have the charisma of their father. Poe? By that time, yes, she would have qualified yet probably weaker politically.

Is it wiser for Bongbong to test the waters now? In a way, yes. It is a gamble worth trying because of what had transpired in the political scene.

There is a basis for such an advice. One, the Ilokano vote. Two, the pull coming from the Visayan vote. Lastly, the possible votes coming from Mindanao, of which some communities are peopled with Ilokano families.

Yes, Bongbong registers a popularity of a consistent 7%, and a ranking which is always either fifth or sixth. In a situation such as what we have now where there is no clear winner or someone highly popular enough to pull voters away from other candidates, there is still a chance that 7% would turn double-digit anytime. And when that happens, that will give Bongbong a stronger than even chance of winning the vice presidential slot.

Remember that ratings only serve to attract financiers. What matters most is high conversion rates. In all likelihood, an Ilokano candidate with very strong Visayan links could easily pull off a surprise because voters elect those whom they can identify themselves with.

By this announcement, this will crystallize efforts at unifying the Ilokano vote and the Visayan votes once more behind one candidate. This is the same strategy employed by his father when he ran for the Senate and eventually, for the presidency.

Minority Vice President

The current field is peopled with at least six VP candidates: Trillianes, Cayetano, (possibly Honasan?), Robredo, Marcos and Escudero. Look at these names--except Marcos, all the rest do not have a visible constituency. With Robredo's entry, the Bicol vote would surely be fragmented and segmented.

Cayetano is banking on a Duterte support and if this does not happen, expect Cayetano to lose to Bongbong. Trilianes is banking on the wide support base of the Magdalo. What he does not realize is his network is fragmented along regional lines as well, and Magdalos based in Region 1 would think twice before they support him rather than Bongbong. Likewise, the Magdalo groups behave as dependent organizations instead of independent political forces in their respective locales.

Robredo is banking on the vaulted LP machinery yet this electoral behemoth is being threatened by desertions left and right, most going to the Poe-Escudero tandem, believing that this aggrupation is the winning side. Without a big party machinery, who among these political groups is strong enough to counter Bongbong's?

As I said in my previous post, the entire game is hinged on sustainability. Is the Poe-Escudero campaign sustainable? No. If Poe is disqualified, then, this partnership would surely break at the seams. Popularity is not enough to deliver votes. You may be preferred by voters but if you don't have the organisation to protect those votes, then, it is next to impossible to win.

I change my previous analysis---Bongbong Marcos is a sure winner in the vice presidential derby for five (5) reasons: one, he has the Ilokano and the Visayan voters; two, he has the machinery; three, the field does not have a deep bench. There is no contender strong enough to stand before him tit-for-tat. Fourth, the young voters do not have or show a deep antipathy or animosity for the young Marcos and fifth, the Marcos' family's political enemies are fading into oblivion, one by one. 

It seems that the universe is conspiring to give Bongbong the win. 

Grace Poe Friends Treated Her Cousin Sherly Cruz "like it was martial law"

I watched the interview of Sherly Cruz, the last person you"'ll expect to say something against Grace Poe. Cruz and Poe are cousins. The fact is, urban legends say, they are "sisters" because malicious tongues say, Poe is reportedly the product of a tryst between former president Ferdie Marcos and Rosemary Sonora mother of Sherly Cruz.

This legend has gone the rounds for over fifty years, and it persists because there is simply no resolution. On the part of Cruz, according to her interview, this is simply malicious talk. Sherly does not accept this because it is highly incredible, and she knows that there were only three kids which her mother sired and she is the true daughter of the highly respected actress, Rosemary Sonora-Belmonte.

But, how can you not suspect and probably believe this urban legend when the very friends of Grace Poe, reputedly one of her financiers, have tried very hard to pressure Sherly to retract her earlier statement in a newspaper (ManilaStandardToday) saying that she does not agree with Poe running for the presidency.

Sheryl describes her cousin as "unprepared" since for her, running for the highest post requires the highest preparations. Do you see anything bad about this statement? I didn't see anything wrong about it.

The fact is, Sherly is just stating a fact. However, many of our people are pretending that this is not so, that Grace Poe is a "great Leader". Okay, if Grace is a leader, tell me just one project which she handled that improved our lives, then, I'll keep my peace.

Grace Poe daw is not corrupt. Okey. What is the possibility that the post will not corrupt her, when, this early, Poe and her friends have shown how they reward "traitors" like Sheryl Cruz.

Imagine, according to Cruz, her talent manager was pressured to drop her by Tony Tuvera, a producer and financier of Poe. Worse, she was reportedly threatened by June Rufino and Dolor Guevarra that she'll lose future projects if she refused to retract her statement of non-support?

Ngayon pa lang, Grace Poe is flexing her muscles as a Dictator, or at the very least, her friends are acting as if they own the Philippines already--that they can dictate what every Filipino should and should not think about Poe.

They fear kasi that the public will really see who Grace Poe really is--and they are deathly afraid. Well, that's the risk that I am saying here since the very start---Poe is a satyr, and there are many things that she is not telling us, and those are risks.

Why is she rushing things? What is so important about 2016? She has a full six years infront of her, and she can still do wonderful things and complete her senatorial record in an excellent way.

Grace Poe's financier tries to pressure Sheryl Cruz to retract statement of non-support for Poe

I shudder what would happen to the Philippines should Grace Poe wins the presidency. She is still a presidentiable, yet her minions are acting like she won already.

Look at how they treated Sheryl Cruz, cousin of Poe. In various interviews, Cruz revealed that Poe's financier, Tony Tuvera, was the one who asked her talent manager to drop her from his roster of talents. Cruz also identified June Rufino and a certain Dolor Guevarra as those who tried to pressure her and her talent manager.

Was there any earth-shaking event or incident or even a very incendiary statement that she issued against Poe that took the goat out of these people?

" Wala, I just granted a reporter an interview and it so happened that the reporter asked me what is my take on the issue of Grace running and I just expressed my own opinion, and that is it. They have wanted me to retract since last week. Am I not entitled to my own opinion? " says Cruz in one of her interviews.

Imagine that--- just one citizen just expressing her views and Poe and her minions want her silenced?! And to think that Poe is reportedly supporting the FOI--probably her totalitarian version.

How impertinent these people are for trying to curtsy Poe's good side at the expense of violating the rights of others.

I am doubly fearful of a Poe presidency, because at this early, Poe's closest friends are acting like brats. What more if Poe really wins? They would deprive thousands even millions of their livelihood all because someone reacted negatively against her.

Poe denies her biological ties with a dictator, yet I do understand now why Poe is always, always being compared with the former dictator---because her close friends know how her true personality is exactly like that of the dead man.

The fact is---Poe does not need a DNA test. Her behaviour is proof positive of her lineage as likened to the late strong man.

Grace Poe's Mindless Rants and Chiz Escudero's hubris

Let's not be fooled. The Inquirer and ABS-CBN 2 described it best---Escudero's proclamation, as well as that of Grace Poe, are like birthday bashes---full of activity and frenzy. Yet, remember that these events only happened here, in Metro Manila, and witnessed by several million outside of MM yet never of the rest of Filipino humanity in other parts. It may affect several voters but the rest of humanity, no.

I, and many others, expected something new from Grace Poe's speech but as expected, nothing. A 20-point agenda you say? Those things which Poe said were "problem areas" are a mishmash of presumptions which have attended the concerns of the government since Day One of this Republic. One Congressman described it best---a copy-paste speech which lacks the proper requisites for a formal program of Government.

Manila mayor Joseph Estrada is right when he said that it Poe's speech was a litany of presumed problems but lacks answers. " Madaling mangako, pero yung pagbigay ng solusyon, paano?" says Estrada, which, for me, is SPOT-ON.

It is the same thing with Escudero's speech although compared with Poe's, the speech of Chiz is better structured. What it terribly lacks is integrity, and honesty.

At one point, Chiz lied when he says that he just live in a townhouse. Watch this Youtube video of Chiz Escudero's powerhouse, and tell me if this is an ordinary townhouse or a mansion see this link.

After you watch this video, Escudero even endorsed Jejomar Binay as his "vice president".

Chiz always says that he is "humbled" and he "humbly" does this and that, yet he delivered it in such a boastful manner that his speech becomes hubris. From being "humbled" to hubris is something which describes fully who Chiz really is.

Chiz is a young legislator and hails from Sorsogon. Question---what is the condition of Sorsogon? The province remains one of the most impoverished places in the Philippines. And in spite that, Escudero can even afford a Balesin wedding.

That event was staged to condition the minds of politicians that Grace Poe is "hot" and "is winnable". That surveys upon surveys point to her as the topmost in the minds of voters and most probably, could even snatch the top post in 2016.

Such conditioning really deadens the mind and puts an extra beat in one's heart. However, ultimately, voting is a rational decision. You cannot just do that--the Filipino voter is a conscious voter.

Poe and Escudero say that they do not intend to build a political party---another lie. They plan to build a coalition party composed of most members of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC), most members of the Liberals and several from the Nacionalista Party.

Of course, I don't presume that these two are so unrealistic. They know how politics works in the Philippines. And ultimately, you need an organized campaign.

What happens in Metro Manila surely does not affect the provinces. There is a new world out there outside the Metro. That is one valuable lesson in 2004 with the FPJ electoral campaign.

I agree with what an experienced Political Operator whom I was fortunate to converse with several weeks ago---this campaign will start on a high point and will end in a disappointing way.

People are converging towards Poe because of the impression that Poe has tons of monies. Of course, who would not be convinced of Poe's? Talks are rife that Poe has billions to spend for this elections, courtesy, of course, by Ramon S. Ang, her husband's boss. Rumors are spreading that Ang already gave as much as 400 million to Grace Poe.

And you know how politics works in the Philippines---people will go to you because you have monies. When you lose it, and you lose it real fast due to expenses, most will go their own way. Local politicians will play politics the way they traditionally do it.

In the end, since politicians know the psychology of Filipino voters, they will go their merry way, with Poe's funds, and will do their own way. So does Filipino voters who will vote for what they truly think is worthy of their votes---experience and direct interaction are two very important things which determine one's success in the elections.

It is just 8 months to the elections. Poe and Escudero have a loooong way to go.

Grace Poe's "Promising" Start and Chiz Escudero's hubris-filled "humbled" speech

Twice I listened to Grace Poe's speech and frankly, it was a hodge-podge of claims, problems and what-have-yous that every single one of us has been harping about since Day One of the Philippine Republic.

The worse that happened was there was nothing new about Poe's prescriptions and even those solutions which Poe wanted was, again, a hodge-podge of patchwork, a product of a confused mind. No maverick solutions. No solutions worthy of a trademark.

However, it achieved what Grace Poe wanted---a "promising" start.

That's the problem with a media creation---we are being made to believe that this one is one Joan of Ark, when in truth and in fact, this one is the local version of Joan Rivers (bless her soul!).

Grace Poe's fantasies seemed to conjure images of PandayLand, where Grace Poe brandishes the Panday sword and slays all those pitiful manananggals or Lizardo's horde of dead men. That's exactly my issue with people who fantasize more than an average person---they simplify things often that they think that the job of the President is as simple as occupying a directorship in a corporation.

Po(o)r favor Poe! You are being made to believe that you can do it when in truth and in fact deep down you know that you are not ready.

The affair in UP looks like it was rushed. Why? Several people think that Grace Poe wants to influence the Senate Electoral Tribunal where her disqualification case is being heard. Poe's handlers fear that they will not be able to muster enough crowd power to neutralize the minute the SET hands down an unfavorable decision.

Meaning---what Poe is actually doing with her premature pronouncement is to pre-empt a loss at the SET. Her handlers will simply project that she has strength in numbers and that she cannot be unseated.

Critical mass for Grace Poe? Where? Where are these people?

Who is this so-called "political analyst" from La Salle who says Grace Poe has the "critical mass" to overturn Mar Roxas and Jejomar Binay? This analyst is no analyst, but a pseudo-analyst.

First, when you say "critical mass" what do you mean? Second, where is this critical mass you are saying? Where are they? Why are they amorphous? What areas in the Philippines do they reside and mass?

Poor Filipinos! We are being fed such lies and we are being made to believe of the strength of this Poe character. For one, just look at the survey ratings and you'll find that Poe has already reached her maximum rating at 27% and she's going South faster than Roxas. Roxas' ratings are improving because of her no-nonsense political ad.

Roxas and Bongbong share the same dilemma--they are both qualified and bright yet, people find it extremely hard to identify themselves with them. Credit that to the inability of their PR handlers to find ways on how to establish a strong brand identity for them. Their communication handlers must be replaced with others who think in a disruptive way.

That is the advantage of Poe--she has handlers who know. The only thing is, her handlers are no match to the one-man army that is Lito David. I don't know who handles David, but that guy is sure to know exactly how to conduct a campaign. Whoever is this guy behind David--he sure is a master of strategic communication because without funds I presume and only in a span of a few weeks, he (or she) has wrecked havoc Grace Poe's immaculate halo, so to speak.

So much for critical mass. This machinery that Grace Poe is boasting about, will sputter and die even before the elections, and goodbye to the millions which Ramon Ang and the Zamora brothers gave to her. As they say, when the perception is, you have the monies, where would the flies go? You guessed right. However, that will never be able to win the elections. You may be good at campaigning, but the final result is in the last stretch.

2016 elections---choosing the lesser evil, for the nth time

It is now September--a full month before we see who  among those already positioning themselves as aspirants to the Presidency and the Vice presidency will actually go ahead.

As of this moment, there are two persons who have already announced that they are seeking the presidency--Vice president Jejomar Binay who has been campaigning for five years now, and DILG secretary Mar Roxas.

Rumored are Senator Grace Poe, former Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Davao City mayor Rody Duterte.

More interesting and more exciting is the vice presidential derby--names such as Senators Antonio Trillianes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr have surfaced. Leni Robredo is still being convinced but already thumbed down initial courtships. Batangas governor Vilma Santos and former actress Alma Moreno's names have likewise been rumored but already said they are not running.

After shooting up the ratings during the INC rally brouhaha, Justice secretary Leila de Lima also categorically stated her decision not to run as vice president.

I am so sorry for Robredo but admired her more when she admitted to being a neophyte in politics and proferred to give way to others more qualified for the VP post. That is a non-trapo statement. Contrast that to the pronouncements of Grace Poe, whom surveys said, would easily win the vice presidential post if she guns for it.

Now, why do I say that we are now down to again, choosing the lesser evils.

Take a look at these names---these politicians represent none of the hope but more of the interests of Big Business names backing them up.

When Mar Roxas wins, expect the pack of high-brow, Iberian blooded elites like the Aranetas and the Zobel de Ayalas to celebrate. Roxas is being backed by a group of miners as well whom includes Eric Gutierrez, a protege of Manny Zamora.

Malayan Bank, a thrift bank, is supporting Mar Roxas and some of them are owners of GMA7.

Vice president Jejomar Binay has his own financial backers from the business community, most of whom are Chinese. Yet, because of the shakedown the Senate did against his very close financial backers, most of his financiers are wary of exposing themselves, and with cause of course.

We all know who are backing the Grace Poe "dreamy" campaign---Ramon Ang of San Miguel and the brothers Zamora. That explains why Poe is now going around the country and why people are excited for her---the perception that Poe has lots of money to throw around. And when a politician does just that, there is a caveat--expect us to pay her financiers back, with our hard earned taxes. What is one form of payback? Private-Public Partnerships.

It goes without saying for Roxas, Binay and other aspirants for the top posts.

Since Duterte already categorically said he is not running, then, what is clear is a three-cornered fight--Roxas, Poe and Binay. Even if a fourth group emerges from the woodwork and announces their "slate", voters and the public in general would just concentrate their attention to these three candidates.

Of course, if Erap suddenly emerges and throws his hat unto the ring, that, my friends, would be a game changer.

And even if Erap participates, we, hapless citizens, will still be forced to choose the lesser evil, something which we always do for almost three decades already. That explains why we do not get the kind of governance we expect from paying government taxes coming from our pockets.

Grace Poe, a trapo---Osmena

Habang tumatagal, nakikita ang tunay na kulay at pagkatao ni Grace Poe. Maging ang dating kasamahan at mentor ni Poe na si Senator Sergio Osmena, napansin na.

Unti-unti na ring lumalabas ang pagka-trapo at kawalang malay sa kilos ng pamamahala sa pamahalaan itong si Poe. Karamihan sa kanyang mga pahayag ay mga motherhood statements, meant to delude us into thinking na makabuluhan at may laman ang kanyang mga sinasabi.

Isipin mo ba naman, sa kasagsagan ng isyu hinggil sa Iglesia Ni Cristo, ano ang naging pahayag ni Poe-Llamanzares---harapin daw ni Justice secretary Leila de Lima ang mga nagrarally na mga INC members at pagbigyan ang mga ito sa kanilang hiling.

Bull. Crap.

Ayokong maging opisyales de gobyerno sa sandaling manalo itong si Poe dahil tiyak, walang kalalagyan ang pamahalaan, at walang wisyo na naman at hindi tiyak kung saan na naman tutungo ang ating kinabukasan.

May bagong umaga daw na parating. Oo, bago nga, pero anong dala-dala kaya para sa atin? Bagong kapahamakan? Bagong pagnanakaw? Bagong grupong magnanakaw? Bagong panlilinlang?

Mayroon ding proposal itong si Poe na magkaroon ng Pangasinan international airport. Wah?

Hindi ba alam ni Poe na mayroon nang airport sa Clark na isang oras lang ang layo mula sa Pangasinan? Hindi ito economically viable dahil gastos lang na walang saysay.

Ang tawag sa ganitong mga salita ay pandering to the audience---sasabihin para lamang sa publisidad at makakuha ng simpatiya ng mga nakikinig.

Trapo nga itong si Poe. Malayong malayo sa kanyang amang si FPJ.

Well, come to think about it, understandable dahil hindi naman talagang anak ni FPJ itong si Grace Poe-Llamanzares.

Grace Poe really jumping into the presidential fire

ABS-CBN news.net reports that Grace Poe, along with several other political allies, is now barnstorming in the provinces in an apparent bid to "determine the people's pulse."

Bull. Crap.

Poe says she wants to know if the people "love her." Excuse me, Mrs. Llamanzares, but this presidential run is not about the people loving you. We don't need a leader whom the people love. We need someone capable of representing our interests as a people, and frankly, in my book, you simply do not have the capabilities or the right motivation to effect change in this country.

Capability-wise, compared with other candidates such as Mar Roxas, VP Binay, Duterte, Panfilo Ping Lacson, and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, you lack the experience, the wit and even the breadth of understanding and patience of the dynamics of politics. Yes, you understand the dynamics of transactional politics, which, to your mind, is enough to weather you if you win this post. Sadly, the presidency is simply a different ball game altogether. It is not as simple as an MTRCB post or as crudely political as a Senate post, no.

Of course, you probably think that such a simple man as Benigno "Pnoy" Aquino III can hack it in spite of having a spotty mental record, you can do it as well. That is simply not the case here.

Aquino's family was cut out for politics, yours is not. Do not be misled and believe that running government is like running showbiz ness, or like running FPJ productions--those two worlds are simply not parallel ones. Besides, for the record, you did not get the chance to run FPJ productions simply because, admit it, when your father was still alive, he did not forget that stunt you did last 1991 when you abandoned your studies in UP and decided to migrate to the US despite the loud protestations of your father. Your adopting father loved you, but did you really love him back?

I sincerely doubt it. For one, you did not even vote for him when he ran for the presidency in 2004. Why? Because back then, you were still an American citizen. If you really loved him and really intended to support him, then, why did you not re-acquired Filipino citizenship in 2003, the very minute FPJ declared his intention to run for the presidency? You waited for him to die first before going back to the country which nurtured you before but you abandoned because of your selfishness.

Who will benefit in case you win? Obviously, you will leave it to your mentor, Senator Chiz Escudero and his henchmen, along with several big businessmen with political ambitions to manage and govern this government. Frankly, it does not sit well for many people. Ask Serge Osmena, mam.

Why leave government in the hands of a pseudo-leader and reputedly a megalomaniac according to several people? Are you saying that the likes of Ramon Ang and the Zamora brothers will definitely be more visible in the affairs of the state when you win? Such a scenario will definitely feed this country to the dogs, Mrs. Llamanzares.

Such big businessmen such as the ones I mentioned here have their own business interests to attend and pursue that is the reason why they are supporting you, because, right now, you are popular. Wait til your ratings go down further South and such calls for you to go and run for the top post will slowly fade away like snow flakes.

Mrs. Poe-Llamanzares, honor the memory and the legacy left by your adopting father. Do not go the way of the trapos. They are the very species which your father tried, yet failed, to defeat last 2004. And you had the gall of telling us that you intend to continue his legacy? In the first place, do you really know what you are claiming in public?

Grace Poe using Pnoy's "necropolitical" inspired script in 2009 to guarantee victory in 2016

The Poe Strip Tease Show—acutely similar with that of Pnoy’s Necropolitical Strategy in 2009.

Grace Poe is always saying that the more people throw dirt at her, the more determined she becomes to finally stake her political future and run for the presidency. Honestly, I find her pronouncements rather mayabang.

Read this and you'll find that Poe's candidacy is actually material only in delimiting the growth of Mar Roxas' mass base. A Poe candidacy will affect Roxas' more than it does to Binay's.

The camp of Senator Grace Poe is reputedly crafting a platform of governance. Poe claims that she is in consultation with different groups. These people are reportedly giving her information about what ails Philippine society at the same time, advising her on the things needed to be accomplished for a better society.

While at the same time saying that she is still undecided and is still thinking of running for president or not come 2016.

Bull. Crap.

This slow strip show is not at all amusing. Why the tease, Ms. Poe-Llamanzares? Why not say outright that you are running for higher office? If the reason is you’re afraid of opening yourself up for criticism, it will surely happen anyway before, during or surely after you file your CoC this October. That’s part of the game. Unless, of course, you’re deathly afraid of being haunted by the specter of an infraction you even admitted publicly last 2013?

Poe’s handlers are trying to do the same exact formula they used for then Senator Benigno Aquino III in 2009. Initial calls for Pnoy’s candidacy came shortly after her mother was buried. It escalated to a crescendo months before October of 2009, and the same events were reported to media—Pnoy billeting himself in a seminary with priests and nuns with him. Stories about his parents were re-published. Pnoy’s life was put on the spot, with emphasis on his being “honest” and of being “different from his former professor, Gloria Arroyo”.  Pnoy was even reported to have been in consultation with different groups to form a platform of governance.

The same script is being followed now. Poe is reportedly in consultation with groups. Poe, in her public speeches, says that she is still “in contemplation”, alluding to Pnoy’s “self-imposed” seminary “live-in” in 2009.

Pnoy used necropolitics in his way to electoral victory. Grace Poe is also doing it, invoking the name of her dear departed and popular father to advance her own personal and political interests.

In her press conferences, Poe is peppering them with necropolitical language such as “according to my father”, and using her adoptive mother, Susan Roces as a shield against integrity attacks. Knowing her lineage and how conservative the Cruz (Roces) family is, such a tactic is definitely not welcome at all.

The fact is—in the provinces, Grace Poe posters with her dead father have been plastered all over along major highways. Is that the demeanor of a person who is not running for office? Poe is again, using the name of her dead adoptive father, FPJ, in furthering her own selfish political ambition.

Honestly, what is Grace Poe fighting for? By clinching the number 1 spot in the Senatorial race, that is enough vindication already for her father.  By taking on the causes of the people thru legislation, Poe has probably made her father happy. Then, why trouble with other matters such as this run for the presidency?

Poe’s legislative record is as spotty as her true genealogy. Review the bills that she filed and every single one is still pending before Congress. Nothing has been made into law yet, and now she claims that she is ready for a bigger and higher calling?

Bull. Crap.

For those who think that attacking Poe benefits Binay or Mar, think again. If Poe decides not to run for the presidency, that is actually not entirely okay for both candidates. A one-on-one would surely increase the possibility of that eventually turning into an armed confrontation later. Do you think Mar’s camp would allow a Binay win? That also applies with the Binay’s. Do you sincerely believe that Binay would not fight for his right for the presidency? 2016 is an opportunity for both, and likewise, the biggest political risk for both. The one who loses here goes straight to retirement. No one has actually recovered from a serious loss like this. Estrada recovered because he was unduly and inhumanely persecuted and ousted from power. Estrada’s camp successfully established the belief of restitution to power as a form of justice for the injustice which his political enemies did to him. In this case, a defeat for Binay or Mar means retirement from politics. Defeat means the end of a career.

A third force avoids such a possibility from happening. The more personalities throwing their hats unto the ring, the lesser possibility of 2016 eventually going to the dogs, so to speak.

Now, will a Poe eat the constituency of Binay? Not a chance. Everyone knows how valuable having a solid mass constituency is. Poe has none. She is perceived to be a strong candidate because of the support of a segment of the middle class, but every astute political observer knows this is entirely not enough to guarantee victory.

It is more likely that Mar’s base will surely become smaller still if Poe runs for the presidency. Poe and Mar share the same constituency. Both will surely cancel out in the end game. Who will benefit in the end is Escudero. Poe’s popularity will lift Escudero’s while affecting Mar’s. And in a 3-party fight or a multi-party fight, it is Binay who is expected to win.

2016 Presidential Elections could lead to True Change in Philippine society

Elite groups are fighting against each other for the biggest booty ever in Philippine History--control over a trillion pesos worth of resources. With an investment of just 2 billion pesos (for a Presidential candidate), one could earn a triple or even a hundred times if his bet succeeds in clinching the top Executive post.

Wittingly or unwittingly, these groups have gone exactly overboard by turning this election into an emotional one. When the Liberal Party and their non-LP cohorts, Senators Cayetano, Trillanes and Pimentel attacked Vice president Binay, they wittingly or unwittingly made this election, personal rather than purely political. Not only did they tried to destroy the credibility of their political enemy, they foolishly dragged other personalities in the fray, which could prove disastrous not just to their individual political careers but more so, to the general conduct of the 2016 Presidential elections in particular.

Now, who will believe that Binay will lose this election fair and square, when at a very early stage, these personalities have spent not just their time but their financial resources just to derail the campaign of Binay for the presidency? These political attacks, at this very early, have surely backfired.

Yes, it did its goal of portraying Binay's ratings going South, but without manipulating results to show another candidate emerging from the woodwork. The people are not stupid. They know what is happening. Who will then believe of a Binay loss now that the people knew that these elite groups have conspired against him and who will not believe that these groups paid and even manipulated election results just to stop Binay from winning?

What would prevent Binay's supporters from engaging in extra-constitutional means in 2016? None. The same way goes to supporters of Poe. They were made to believe that Poe's numbers are improving and are reflective of a general sentiment of support. They don't know that Poe's ratings can be likened to a balloon ready to explode before their faces anytime soon. Why? Because their candidate's true nature is farthest from her public persona and the minute this is exposed, this would surely be very big.

Of course, the LP cannot, by conscience, claim victory for Mar because no one would believe it. This early, Roxas is a goner. Ask anyone. Even if the LP publishes a favorable survey result, it would be very hard for them to justify a Roxas win. A Roxas win is to be perceived as a fraud, a manipulation.

If Roxas wins, groups will militate. If Binay loses, people will wage a people's revolt. If Poe wins, Binay's camp will surely arm themselves and militate. If Poe loses, her segment of supporters will cry fraud.

No one among these three candidates will bulge. Why? Because their financial backers are gung-ho to see their respective investments bear fruit. Behind every candidate lurks carpetbaggers who will risk billions just to get power over the people's purse.

Eventually, if not a direct and armed confrontation, this will probably result to an entendre or compromise among these elite groups just to avoid a vacuum of power. 

Grace Poe is sure to run for the presidency come 2016 as the Top Miners' Candidate

Her handlers are portraying her as a reluctant candidate. Sources say this is farthest from the truth. Grace Poe's feet are itching to start her campaign for the presidency because she has nothing to lose and all to gain from this.

Poe has already received campaign contributions from her electoral financiers, mostly involved in the mining business. Sources say, Ramon Ang of San Miguel has already bankrolled her campaign with the three Zamora brothers: Manny, Buddy and Ronnie Zamora, the very first time that these three brothers united under one candidate. Of course, this is quite obvious, simply because Ronnie Zamora hates the guts of Vice president Jejomar Binay whom he had a political spat several years ago. Zamora actually financed the Vice President's political nemesis, Vice mayor Mercado and Teddy Locsin, people whom Binay alienated in 2010 when the former Makati mayor sided with other political allies in Makati.

Anyway, Poe enjoys a perception of being the strongest contender as yet, based again on these surveys. Her backers are mostly coming from the Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC of Danding Cojuangco, the very same political Kingmaker who supported Poe's dear friend and mentor, Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero Jr.

By the way, do you know why Cojuangco supports Chiz? Cojuangco's ties with the Escudero family go a long way back, even from the days of the Marcos regime. Escudero's father, former Bicol Congressman Salvador Escudero, was formerly Food and Agriculture Minister of former president Ferdinand Marcos. 

It was under Escudero's term when the controversial COCO levy fund scandal was hatched, and we all know how this scheme benefitted Danding Cojuangco. Cojuangco was able to use these funds to purchase a major stake at San Miguel Corporation. And the rest is history.

That explains why Cojuangco supports Escudero. What Cojuangco's gang wants now is for Chiz to get the vice presidency. Why?

Again, this is all about monies. Several fund investments exist which was set up as far back as the Marcos regime. These investments must be recovered. The only way is for someone close to the Cojuangcos to get into the Executive department. 

Now, does Chiz deserve the vice presidency? Those who know the real Chiz, those who had the misfortune of meeting him up close and personal, will tell you disappointing things about this man. 

When Chiz was still married to this former lounge singer, this man reportedly goes home late at night, drunk, and sometimes, try to make a punching bag out of his wife. He dishes unmentionable things here whenever he's drunk. Some people told this writer that Chiz becomes Mr. Hide when intoxicated. 

How about Grace Poe? Poe is the adopted daughter of Fernando Poe Jr who happens to be a friend of Cojuangco. Remember how FPJ endorsed San Miguel beer?

Poe has political ambitions not because she really wants to continue what FPJ started,  but she wants to run to prove to herself and to her "so-called family" that she is better than them.

Aside from this, don't mention to Grace that some people know why she is desperate to run for the presidency. She knows what she violated last 2010 and 2013 which could easily invalidate her status as a government official now.