Senate Blue ribbon "sub-committee" bars presentation of evidence proving witness Ernesto Mercado lied

Several medical documents showing former Makati vice mayor and now star whistle blower of the Senate Blue ribbon sub-committee Ernesto Mercado going to a hospital for checkups for his reported health condition were shown by Atty. JV Bautista yesterday before Senate reporters.

This vital pieces of evidence refuted what Mercado dared the sub-committee last October 22--that he will strike out everything he told the sub-committee should the Binay camp show proof that he was hospitalized in "whatever clinic or hospital" in the Philippines.

Though refused to present such vital evidence that proves how Mercado had lied before the Senate, JV Bautista went to the public and presented the evidence.

The documents came from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) medical center which showed Mercado going there twice, October 1 and 4, 2014 for apparently medical checkups. Based on reports, Mercado is suffering from an enlarged aorta, an illness which he contracted due to his heavy drinking apparently.

Several sources also attested that Mercado is an inveterate gambler and womanizer.

Now that there is proof of Mercado lying before the chamber, one principle of law says that one lie invalidates all other points given by the person testifying.

This vital proof should have been shown before the Senate sub-committee, but what these three senators did was outright discourtesy.

They barred JV Bautista and UNA interim president Toby Tiangco from presenting what could probably be a game-changer in this extended persecution, err, hearing against Vice president Jejomar Binay.

I thought that this hearing is all about "uncovering the truth"? Those medical records show that Mercado lied, something which affects his integrity as a witness. How then will we believe in whatever this witness is saying when even in telling us, the listening publics, his true medical condition, he lies?

Worse, this barring of Bautista and Tiangco just prove how partial this hearing has become, something which is not the real intention for hearings. Senate hearings are supposed to unravel what truly happened. With the integrity of this witness shattered, why pursue this hearing which cost taxpayers' money?

Conditioning the Filipino electorate

The recent SWS survey says it all--nine members of Team Pnoy and only 3 from UNA. Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed surprised but left out his comments when asked about the improved rankings of his daughter, Nancy. UNA campaign manager Toby Tiangco said, the recent slide or drop in the rankings might probably be the result of a renewed campaign against UNA leaders by several "unseen forces". UNA believes that there is an active campaign to smear the reputation and image of UNA leaders, which began with attacks against Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and ending with reputational strikes against former president Joseph Estrada.

What is not being expressed fully at the surface by political observers is the obvious manipulation of the public mind. It seems that a trend is being spun by several electoral observers. It seems like the public is being made to accept a 10 to 2 win-lose record for the Team Pnoy. Team Pnoy is also being projected as the dominant political player. That this is probably the "winning number combination in the 2013 mid-term elections.

Conditioning the minds of the voting public is a tactic way back. Those who are conducting an honest campaign should ask the Commission on Elections to desist survey firms like SWS and Pulse Asia from releasing their survey results not until the very end of the campaign period.

UNA's political blunder

The United Nationalist Alliance or UNA probably realized its error at this very early in the game. This explains why the newly formed alliance has suddenly announced its "open-ness" on the possibility of coalescing with the Liberal Party, the main administration party. What made UNA realize its early and probably, a most erroneous mistake?


Two things: when they realized that funds are not going their way and lastly, when they found themselves isolated politically. UNA misread the situation. They thought that Pnoy's trust and popularity ratings would reach a dangerously low level that it would incapacitate the President politically, and affect the chances of whoever political party Pnoy would support. The reading bombed. 


UNA's initial plan when news of the fast decreasing popularity of the administration came, was assume a combative position. However, when this news failed to jell, or failed to affect the overall trust and perception of the population behind the administration, UNA's strategy began to fall apart. 


The last punch came when UNA spokesperson former Congressman Atty. JV Bautista clarified in a statement that the UNA "shares the vision and agenda of this present administration,", that statement neutralized the UNA altogether.


How will the UNA now react on this latest pronouncement of the Liberal Party that it is now closed to a coalition with them? 


Imagine this scenario of UNA candidates announcing their support for the President's agenda but is isolated and not among those formally coalesced with the LP? There is no more differentiation. Without differentiation, how then can voters know the difference between what UNA offers and what the LP-NP-NPC coalition stands for?


IN such a very confusing situation, the winnability of candidates of the UNA is placed under extreme doubt. 


The senatorial race will now depend much on the candidates' own brand-name awareness and puts the political party, particularly UNA, as a liability rather than a plus in the campaign.


Meaning, with UNA, it is now entirely useless to join this political aggrupation simply because it isolated itself, by its own actions, from the administration.


There is nothing left for UNA but to sheepishly and probably quietly shift to the oppositive side, to the detriment of Presidential wannabe Jejomar Binay and all the rest of the relics of the alliance.


If UNA chooses now to don the "constructive oppositionist" route, it places the flow of funds to them in danger, since, everyone knows that this administration thinks along black and white lines, meaning, if you don't support it, you're a marked enemy. 


Meaning, regardless of whatever political side the UNA finally decides to place its fate on, no huge amount of funds would ever flow to their side, since financiers would always fear of retribution coming from the administration. 

Pimentel bolts UNA

Finally, Senator Koko Pimentel decided to leave UNA (United Nationalist Alliance). Pimentel said, he just followed his principles. He just cannot accept the proposition made by his partymates on sharing the same stage with former Senator Migz Zubiri, whom he accused of electoral deceit. 


Former president Joseph Estrada, Pimentel's "godfather", accepted the decision. Vice President Binay, UNA president, however, did not give any statement.


Pimentel's act is anti-climactic because people really expected him to bolt the alliance. What was sad was the fact that Pimentel was one of those who stuck it out with the people behind UNA since 2010. Pimentel serves as President of PDP-Laban, the political party of his father. 


Sources say, many people are really feeling uneasy with former Arroyo stalwarts joining the party. Many felt that this is one of those traditional political moves which could hurt the party in the long run. 


UNA is really a political hodgepodge, the kind that leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. Honestly, UNA's slate is a combination of political names which have made nothing significant insofar as the people are concerned. These political bigwigs gave public service a very bad name, by sticking it out in politics just for the sake of personal aggrandizement. It is a pure naked display of power politics. 


I hope UNA will be the very first political party to disintegrate due to the lack of principles.

Makabayan should run with a more principled party

Makabayan, the coalition party of the mainstream left, favors a coalition with UNA or the United Nationalist Alliance. However, a segment also wants a cooperative venture with the Liberal Party. I don't know with them, but there should be no alliance with a party which promotes what former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr called "dinosaurian politics".


Yes, electoral victory in the Philippines requires money and the money bet seemed to favor UNA, whose heads: Vice President Binay and former president Joseph Estrada Jr seemed to attract the most moneyed political investors. Yet, for me, there should still be ideologies and principles involved. Later on, Makabayan could be the biggest and the most influential political party in the Philippines.


This early, I am supporting the candidacy of Teddy Casino, whose principles, advocacies and dreams I share.

United Nationalist Alliance is a Trapo party and a dangerous one

The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is supposed to be a different political animal than other political configurations. Its recent choices for Senatorial bets however, show that it is not as different from other parties as expected. 


The UNA is as spineless as other political parties for one thing--it believes in political accommodation. It is not a principled party. It has a very twisted view of things. 


For example---how in the world did this party, which is supposed to usher changes in our government, treated former political personalities who supported the tyranny of the previous administration for nine long years? BY asking them to join the UNA senatorial lineup, that's how.


There is this thing called justice. For Filipinos, justice first before reconciliation. The previous acts of former administrations which led to the non-prosecution of former political personalities responsible for bringing ruin to this country, contributed immensely to the present state of our society today.


The message that UNA has shown in their choice of Senatoriables reflect how traditional they view politics in this country. Their acts also show how elitist the party views governance, politics and justice.


I have nothing personal against Mitos Magsaysay, MIgz Zubiri or Gwen Garcia, except that these people were very cooperative when the previous dispensation was wrecking havoc the very future of this country.


Fact is, they issued statements of support behind former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Their participation hindered the popular movement for the ouster of Arroyo. At the very end, Mitos Magsaysay was issuing a mouth-full against the Aquino administration. When her principal was acting like a spoiled tyrant, Magsaysay issued statements of support. She was as unconcerned about the condition of the masses as Arroyo was. 


Same goes to Migz Zubiri and Gwen Garcia who even made their respective provinces veritable citadels which provided succor to Gloria and gave legitimacy to her illicit actions.


These things are now recorded in the annals of history. I simply cannot understand the logic behind teaming Zubiri up with, say, Joey de Venecia, who sacrificed his future and his own life fighting Zubiri's boss.


I am likewise clueless how, say, Gwen Garcia would campaign side by side with Koko Pimentel, whose father, Aquilino Pimentel Jr. resisted the tyranny and the dictatorial ways and wiles of the previous government. 


I am now concerned that UNA, should it achieve power by next year, would reverse the progressive gains achieved by the people under this administration.


I am fearful of a Binay presidency because this early, he has exhibited a spineless political leadership who knows no enemies--Binay only knows people who can give him what he wants in exchange for the people's welfare.


There is nothing nationalist about UNA. If at all there is a nationalist color in UNA, it is probably the nationalism espoused by the early ass lickers of the American colonialists in the thirties.

Chopsuey Politics in Philippines and the Emergence of a Third Force

Next year's election is crucial for this administration. This election is some sort of an appraisal of the three year performance of Noynoy Aquino. A failure by the Liberals to get a majority of seats in the Lower House and the Senate will be interpreted largely as a public indictment of the way Noynoy is running the affairs of the State. A vote of no-confidence is surely not a welcoming sign for Noynoy. 

Binay's move a few days ago, is quite expected considering that the PDP-Laban cannot wait for the Liberals forever. When Binay recommitted himself with Erap shows how deep their relationship is, both had been prosecuted by Gloria Arroyo during her term. Curiously though, Binay allowed allies of the previous administration and critics of Noynoy to join his senatorial slate, a move interpreted by the palace as a direct affront against the President. Mitos Magsaysay and Ernie Maceda are staunchly anti-Noynoy. This baffles the palace, says DBM secretary Florencio Abad.

Abad dares Binay to reveal which side he is, really. Is he anti-administration or pro-administration? Abad's question really reflects how politicians perceive politics in the Philippines---it is personality based, not principles or ideology-based. This also shows the prevailing thought inside the palace--a "black and white" thing or a Bush-like policy of "if you're not with us, you're surely against us".

This explains why no alliance or coalition has been formed. The Liberals are trying to preserve their unity among groups, which has been forged by the 2010 elections. The party is not solely being dictated anymore by just one dominant group, but by numerous groups with dissimilar interests. Thoughly largely ideology-less, the administration's direction is dictated by partisan interests, which, is based on political expediency, much less, survival beyond Noynoy's term.

The peculiar and earlier-than-expected pronouncement of the President that he will not be seeking another term opened the floodgates for numerous forces and interest groups to jockey up for stronger, firmer political associations. The criterion is really resources--whoever has the resources enjoys a bigger, wider space for coalitions. Coalitions are two-way engagements yet in Philippine political reality, coalitions are interpreted based on a hegemonic framework. The bigger party acts as hegemon to the smaller party which expects to get as much resources as possible from the bigger one. In the end, however, nothing really proceeds from this arrangement because the bigger party gets nothing from the smaller aggrupations while these smaller groups grapple with the realities of running a campaign with a small budget.

Analysing Binay's aggrupation reveals a weak coalition. UNA is a political coalition for convenience. Why get untested candidates like Magsaysay if you have a very deep bench? Why get Maceda whose previous runs have been dismal? Magsaysay and Maceda are just there to fill in the gaps, so to speak, while UNA forges other mergers and coalitions. There is still that possibility of UNA changing their slate at the very last minute.

The political environment really is these two groups are forming their own and will eventually compare and will probably merge, if the right conditions are present. For example, if Noynoy's popularity ratings remain high and not plateau, chances are UNA will open its doors to accommodate common candidates from the Liberal party. This option will be a cause of dissension within the UNA ranks, since some candidates will definitely be given least priority in resource allocation than, say, common candidates. 

What is really evident at this point is the possibility of a third force emerging from all of these movements, a third force that is composed of citizens already tired of traditional politics. This is the time when personalities like Nick Perlas or those of the Kapatiran Party are expected to rise up and dominate the political landscape.

The opportune time to do it is next year's election, 2013. If the elections will be clean, then, a Third Force is expected to get a sizeable mandate from the people, tired of the failed promises of traditional politics.

UNA versus Liberal Party in 2013

Vice President Jejomar Binay announced the establishment of the United Nationalist Alliance or UNA--the political party which sprung from the merger of two (2) parties: Binay's Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and former president Joseph Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino. 


The announcement is not premature since it is only a few months prior to the 2013 Senatorial or mid-term elections and any candidate who is dead serious in running for a Senate slot should, by now, already campaigning silently in major cities and provinces. 


Sources say Binay told his allies inside the Aquino administration that the party will still welcome the inclusion of several of the LP candidates provided that the administration party finalizes its slate. However, up to presstime, no such final slate yet.


President Noynoy Aquino already intimated his desire to re-field the 2010 Senatorial slate, to be led by former Congressman Ruffy Biazon. Biazon, according to sources, is still undecided. His father, however, Senator Biazon is the one who wants to get back his old post. Several former candidates are also still undecided. There is a possibility that SLAMMATLORD will not be able to form another slate. The possibility is, it probably only be Mano Po, or Slamatpo.


Anyway, the slate of Binay is strong since it consists of former legislators, re-electionists, and new names who has the political clout already to win. 


The preliminary UNA slate consists of former Senator Migz Zubiri who already started his campaign using the Philippine National Red Cross.


The other one, Mitos Magsaysay, who seems unable to shake off her pro-Gloria tag. 


The rest are shoo-ins: JV Ejercito, Jack Enrile, Joey de Venecia, Ernesto Maceda and re-electionists: Greg Honasan, Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Jamby Madrigal. The only new name here is Nancy Binay, eldest daughter of the Vice President. 


Of course, in politics, everything is pretty fluid. This will still change based on surveys. 


Now, in the administration side, you have Riza Hontiveros, Ruffy Biazon and Danny Lim as possible candidates. With at least five re-electionists, the only available slots for new comers would be seven. 


The thing to be considered is this--is it worth it? Is it worth the effort of someone to gun for a senatorial slot when the odds are going against new comers?