Now that Ferdindand Marcos Jr., is a Presidential candidate, Alan Robles has deemed it fit to make a comeback as a journalist. He with the face that only his mother and Raissa can love levels the accusation that BBM is the Chinese candidate in the 2022 Presidential Election.
BBM has been polling in the high 50’s after his tandem with Sara Duterte has been finalized. But by no means is this a guarantee that he is the runaway winner come May 2022. It’s safe to assume that the US will play its hand in the election by anointing their own version of the Manchurian Candidate. The top choices are Leni Robredo and Isko Moreno, who are both enjoying support from anti-Duterte and anti-Marcos oligarchs.
This is very much obvious given the Marcos’ tenuous relationship with the Americans since 1986. If it wasn’t for US intervention in the failed coup launched by Enrile and Honasan’s RAM, Apo Lakay would’ve had the opportunity to finalize his estate planning by appointing a designated successor among the factions fighting for that right in his camp. Perhaps, Marcos wanted one last hurrah which is why he called for the snap election which triggered his ouster from the Presidency.
The operative question is, for how long?
Both the Robredo and Moreno campaigns have run out of traction. The focus on gimmickry by both camps have left the public wanting for better qualified and more competent candidates. This limits the field to Marcos and Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
While Robredo and Moreno are polling ahead of Lacson per the latest survey, it’s Lacson who has the edge in in terms of the campaign organization and ground machinery. Lacson is perceived to be a milder version of Duterte though he is more stern in his demeanor owing to his background as a soldier, which is why he is seldom seen smiling or engaging in banter.
But in terms of competence and experience, Lacson is hands-down, the most qualified for the Presidency. Emotional Filipinos are still stuck in the Aquino-Marcos narrative which is why Marcos is the sentimental favorite. The fact that he “lost” the Vice-Presidency to Leni Robredo in 2016 has served to reinforce his underdog image, which Filipinos have a penchant for. It does help also that he has been a Provincial Governor, Congressman and Senator which serves as his claim to experience and capability but he is also perceived to be weak-willed when compared to his more brash and outspoken elder sister, Imee.
Lacson was persuaded to run by several high-ranking retired officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which should make him unabashedly pro-America but he cannot be fingered as the Amboy candidate for the simple reason that the oligarchs behind Robredo and Moreno aren’t too enamored of a Lacson Presidency either as he’s not as malleable compared to the two. The Senator isn’t the type who will just accept what is rammed down his throat which is why the Americans aren’t keen on him either.
Robles is stating the obvious and is barking at nothing again except for the previous claim that in 2016, Duterte was the Manchurian Candidate. So what? At that point, relations between the Philippines and China were at an all-time low and the Philippines lost territory to China again. The Scarborough Shoal stand-off was triggered by then President Aquino’s hostile stance against China upon the instructions of the US, through his Foreign Affairs Secretary, Albert Del Rosario.
The subsequent filing of a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, further excacerbated the situation. What’s worse is after the ruling came out, the Philippines forever lost Scarborough Shoal, which has long been part of its contiguous territory, even before the Spaniards came.
Yellowidiots like Robles continously promote a pro-US stance without even bothering to take into account the consequences given China is the now the reigning regional economic and military power. It has replaced the US as the country’s main trading partner and came to the aid of the Philippines at that precarious point in the pandemic when Western nations cornered Covid-19 vaccine supplies.
The opposition is now resorting to a US-China comparison in terms of benefits received. His Ugliness Robles will not admit that Duterte’s playing off the US against China and vice-versa, has resulted in maximum benefits for Filipinos in terms of aid received. The US is still a cheapskate given the fact that we are actually a former colony whose infrastructure was destroyed as a result of the geopolitical environment leading to World War II.
As the US and China battle it out for influence in the region, the Philippines is again squarely in the middle similar to the US-Japan rivalry prior to World War II. History tells us that the US bought the Philippines from Spain not only to gain influence in the area where the Pacific Ocean meets Southeast Asia but also to serve as a defensive buffer for the its West Coast.
We are at a crucial point in our history what with the pandemic and geopolitical situation which has the US and China battling it out for influence and dominance globally. China isn’t employing the same hegemony the US did in the past but the key flashpoint is the South and East China Sea and Taiwan.
The next President will have to perform a tight balancing act between the two powers. A Robredo or Domagoso Presidency would definitely be pro-US but this would leave the Philippines as the de facto US proxy similar to the role it played during the Aquino Presidency where it lost the respect of its ASEAN peers.
We definitely need to choose qualified candidates to lead the country for the next six years and to my mind, the choice is only between Lacson and Marcos. No matter what His Ugliness Robles says, Robredo doesn’t have the intellectual wherewithal to lead a country as she is also bereft of the requisite gravitas.
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