Lakas Kampi is indeed a giant. Organization, money, government resources are in their hands. But flashback to 2007 senatorial elections. Although Lakas Kampi was divided in the local level they were solidly united behind the senatorial ticket and yet they were routed. Because the choice was clear. The opposition had no problem communicating its message to voters. There were no distractions. The focus was on GMA and any national candidate associated with her became her.
Lakas Kampi is doomed at the national level if 2010 is fought like 2007. So the idea is to throw the opposition off its game. No middle of the ring toe-to-toe fighting. Move to corners and tire out the opposition with feints like cha-cha, GMA running for congress, transition governments, and all sorts of other talk.
PaLaKa is big in the small pond (congressional and local offices) but is nowhere in the big pond. As long as the face of corruption looks like a frog they will get nowhere. If they cannot elect a president or a majority senatorial slate, they are nothing. So they throw in everything, every impersonal “objective” issue to avoid turning the fight into personalities.
Here’s the thing. They will keep pushing chacha etal until time runs out. Why? Because that way, we debate legal issues instead of focusing on the personalities who will stand in for Gloria in 2010.
Take Gilbert Teodoro for example. Here’s a guy who, if only he were not in Gloria’s camp, would merit serious consideration. But we are not looking at him that way and asking ourselves why a guy like that would run on the ticket of a party that totally supports everything Gloria has done.
He sells himself as Mr. Clean in the cesspool. As if that’s possible without totally washing himself clean off Gloria and her followers. But until time for cha-cha runs out he will get a free pass.
And after chacha runs out, the next issue will be the legality of Gloria running for a lower office. And all that time Gilbert and Gloria’s senatorial slate will be under the radar.
How do we, without defaulting on the cha-cha issues, keep the heat on any and all national candidates running under Gloria’s party?
Because at the end of the day, if Lakas Kampi control the national offices, we are fucked.
The war is all about “who” not “what.” Because in politics, it is the “who” that tells us the “what comes after.”
Let’s not lose our focus.
2 comments:
MB,
You don't seem to think that CONASS is a real threat. Remember that all these personalities will be around no matter what system we have. ConAss and "Them" are like hand in glove. For even if ConAss fails, as you point out, they will have the 2010 elections to run in as "players." But if it succeeds they really will have the field to themselves.
I think the focus now is NOT on personalities, but on principles and educating the people, including ourselves, about the Law and the morality it begs to enforce.
DJ,
I think cha-cha is a real issue. And that's because of the personalities behind it.
These legal issues would not exist if not for the manner these personalities have been pushing chacha.
The threat is not chacha per se, it is the personalities who will be in the con-ass.
I would venture that you and I may find ourselves open to reviewing the charter if the personalities involved were different.
So all I'm saying is let's not lose sight of the fact that all the controversy comes not from chacha per se but from the personalities involved and the manner they are doing it.
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