More connected than we think
Leni, Zelenskiy, and the meaning of showing up
It is continually amazing how columnists in biased mainstream media continue to campaign for Leni Robredo to the point of making outlandish claims just to shore up her candidacy. As you can see, the above embedded links show how far this desperation goes. Leni is now Zelensky.
The Russia-Ukraine war is now a fight between good versus evil. This is how the lens has always been framed. Never mind when the US invades another sovereign country because it is always with good intentions. Never mind also when said country becomes a failed state because the US is not able to restore “democracy,” for one reason or another.
In our context, Leni is good because she represents the forces which overthrew Marcos in 1986. Now that the son is running, the burden of responsibility falls on her because she has inherited the mantle of Cory. That is what the opposition would like Filipinos to think.
Unfortunately, Leni Robredo is bereft of gravitas. She does not have even an ounce of it. She is not a leader. No matter how much her diehards force the issue. Gravitas is about seriousness of leadership, dignity and integrity all of which Leni lacks.
The opposition has been reminding Filipinos of what happened in the first Marcos administration which may be repeated in a probable second Marcos administration. The sins of the father are the sins of the son.
Marcos is not all good but he was not all bad either. Bongbong is his father’s son but he is not his father. At least not in terms of intellectual brilliance. But he is definitely better than Robredo despite her being an economist and lawyer which she very conveniently does not demonstrate any abilities for. Rappler recently revealed that she flunked the bar exam on her first try and only passed it on her second try. Not a very good sign for someone who’s supposed to be intelligent but does not even exhibit idiot-savant signs.
Robredo’s campaign is making much of crowd attendance and endorsements recently. It is very clear that all of these is to generate the bandwagon effect. Get voters to join the bandwagon but the biggest problem remains to be the whopping lead of Marcos in the surveys.
Our sources in Negros and Panay have confirmed that Region 6 is no longer an opposition bailiwick even if Iloilo politicians claim it it is. Even the Javier family is split. Why? Antiquenos claim that the Javier’s never did anything the whole time they were in power in the province. Loren Legarda did more in three years compared to the twenty plus years of the Javier’s. This even if Legarda is a carpetbagger. Her brother Tony, is now running for the Congressional seat she vacated.
The Governor of Negros Occidental may have declared for Leni but the Araneta’s and the Arroyo’s are making sure that it will not be a win for her. GMA and FG even made an appearance in the Marcos Bacolod rally. The orphaned United Negros Alliance of Danding Cojuangco is throwing its support to the local Lakas chapters for the Marcos-Duterte ticket.
The start of the official campaign period for local elective posts will firm up the alliances for the national candidates. The real battle begins on the ground all the way up to election day. Robredo’s voter base is really among the ABC judging from my recent trips to the upper class subdivisions in Quezon City and Muntinlupa. No doubt about it. They are very pink. But the bulk of the voters are still D and E and this is where Len-Len is weakest. This is where Isko is eating up votes in the battle for second place.
Fortunately, there is no such thing as second place in a Presidential contest. Hopefully all the candidates show up in the second SMNI Presidential debate scheduled for March 26. If only for once, it will be interesting to see what Marcos’ rivals will resort to in a debate where he is present.
In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the entertainment the opposition provides us with their antics.
Comments