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Now that the deadline for the filing of the certificate of candidacies – Nov. 30 – is fast approaching, presidential aspirants are coming up with publicity tricks to bolster their ratings and convince would-be financiers that they are indeed viable.
Erstwhile NPC standard bearer Chiz Escudero turned the scheduled date of his proclamation into a date of “exorcism” when he bolted the NPC, suddenly becoming an independent candidate, after having been with the NPC for a decade already.
Now Chiz wants other “presidentiables” to run as independent candidates too, so they won’t become beholden to traditional politicians in their parties. Well, that’s quite a long time to develop sound principles, isn’t it?
Escudero’s supporters were stunned. The public was perplexed by his announcement, waiting for explanations instead of praising him to high heavens for his decision. A political analyst called his move a political suicide.
I think Chiz should honestly state the real reason for his sudden departure from the NPC. The reason he gave was quite flawed; people could sense it despite his trademark volubility and unpunctuated Tagalog.
For one thing, Chiz is smart and experienced enough to know that politicians in this country – and even in the country we so admire, the United States – need parties. And the NPC is the second largest party next to Lakas-Kampi. A fraternity man like Chiz should know the importance of an organization.
The buzz is that Chiz bolted the NPC because its chairman emeritus, business tycoon Danding Cojuangco, had promised to provide Escudero and Loren Legarda billions for a campaign kitty but decided to slash the fund down to P200 million for each of them.
“Boss” Danding is an astute businessman and he wants to bet on sure winners. Right now, the one leading the surveys is his second-degree nephew, Noynoy Aquino. A closer kin, his nephew Gibo Teodoro, is the well-funded and well-organized administration party’s standard bearer.
Chiz needs a boost to put him back on the radar screen. If surveys continue to give him low ratings, then putting billions in his campaign is a bad investment. And why would a shrewd businessman like Danding do that?
Escudero might have hurt Danding with his “attacks,” which would make Danding abandon any plan to help Escudero even just with token campaign funds. And where would that leave the NPC? The situation now leaves Legarda as the party’s best bet, but she has already expressed her desire to run for the vice presidency, and not for the biggest kahuna.
From the very beginning, the proposed tandem of Chiz and Loren was already a disaster because of the conflicting personalities and ambitions of the two candidates. I think Loren could not begrudge Chiz for not inviting her because she too did not invite Chiz when she made her own declaration.
Chiz, for many, is too young to show much ambition to run for the highest position of the land. And the way he was behaving discouraged other politicians from supporting him. Many, especially the students, know that Chiz could outtalk any of the candidates, but what about his character? Ferdinand Marcos, whom Chiz’s father served well, started out as a brilliant politician, but ended up as a dictator.
Young voters have started to look into Chiz’s track record and found out that he was one of Danding’s top henchmen. He was among the “Brat Pack,” which led the impeachment move against then Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. in the House of Representatives. Davide, together with most justices, declared the Coco Levy Fund ill-gotten.
But all is not lost for Chiz. He is still 40 years old and there will hopefully be many presidential elections to come in his lifetime. He can forego the 2010 election and play his cards well for 2016. Most of all, he needs to be honest and sincere.
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On a personal note, allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to the University of San Carlos for appointing me the officer in charge of the Department of Political Science starting Nov. 1.
In particular, I would like to thank the president of the university, Rev. Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD; CAS Dean Ramon Del Fiero, CAS Assistant Dean, former political science chair Ferdinand Bongcayao, pol sci chair Jiah Sayson and the faculty of the political science department.
I know the challenge is enormouswith the fast pace of academic development in the university, under the leadership of Fr. Miranda, especially when it comes to a directional matrix for every department, which, I am happy to announce, has already been done by the department under the leadership of Ms. Jiah Sayson.
Now our task is to review the four tracks of the department and strengthen it in order to be relevant to the needs of the region. I am also confident that the faculty shares my dreams and ideals in pursuing the dream of academic excellence and discipline.
