May 9 is only a week away. It has been a year of election-related drama and hoopla. Much time and monies have been spent on the campaign. The way the surveys are picturing it, it will be a landslide victory for Marcos-Duterte on election day. The only way this does not become a reality is if the surveys were wrong and Google Trends was right. But there is that palpable gut feel political pundits have in the pit of their stomach which more or less confirms the eventuality of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. being elected as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Comelec Director James Jimenez’s obvious bias for the the opposition got him in hot water at the most inopportune time for Robredo. As it turns out, the Comelect partnered with Impact Hub for the staging of the three Presidential debates. The last debate was supposed to be held this weekend but had to be canceled on account of Impact Hub’s check payment to venue partner Sofitel not clearing due to insufficient funds. This development revealed that one of the principals of Impact Hub is Atty. Gideon Pena, who is identified with the opposition. He used to be close to Kris Aquino.
The Comelec opted to save face by reformating the last debate into a panel interview and partnering with the KBP for the broadcast but the Presidential candidates have begged off due to scheduling conflicts. The quality of the first two debates left much to be desired. The non-participation of frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos also meant lower advertising revenue. Perhaps this is why Impact Hub was not able to make good on its payment to Sofitel. Both Lacson and Robredo have begged off from the last debate. More than likely it will be canceled outright.
The latest Laylo Report comissioned by the Marcos campaign shows the latter continuing to hold on to his lead over nearest rival Robredo. It is a 43 point lead with Marcos at 64% voter preference while Robredo only managed 21% despite the “momentum” of her “people’s campaign” as it is being hyped up in media. Robredo needs a miracle to pull of another “come from behind” victory over Marcos as she did in 2016. Then again, the majority of Filipinos do not believe she won at that time.
You know Robredo is desperate with her call for a one-on-one debate with Marcos before election day saying “he owes it to the people.” You reallly have to wonder how dense Robredo is given she finds herself about to buried by an avalanche of votes on May 9. She and her followers are like escapees from a mental institution with the behavior they are manifesting. There are those citing Google Trends as the basis for her “impending victory.” Others are conductiong frenetic house-to-house campaigns which defies logic as they do not seem to be organized enought to begin with and out of touch with reality thinking they can cover what’s needed to overcome Marcos’ overwhelming lead.
There is also the inflated crowd estimates at their rallies across the coutnry which is more like a concert series given the bevy of entertainers who perform. It does not come any close to a traditional campaign sortie anymore. It is more like show and tell with entertainers acting as hosts. The Robredo campaign set this trend for this election cycle.
The Robredo campaign has relied on one gimmick after the other since Robredo declared for the Presidency to beef up her candidacy. Aside from the debate challenge, there is the recantation of Kerwin Espinosa’s testimony against detained Sen. Leila De Lima. The issue is dead and will not have any impact anymore. Majority of Filipinos are convinced that De Lima acted to protect her interest in initially denying then admitting her relationship with her driver/bodyguard. She also suborned perjury by asking him no to heed the summons of the House Committee on Justice. De Lima played the game against powerful enemies but did not bother to provide herself with an exit strategy. Noynoy Aquino is dead while she remains detained at Camp Crame. She is looking at an extended stay at Crame given Robredo is not likely to win on May 9.
Robredo “influencers” have also gone into overtime with their endorsements and intrigues on social media. This is all agit-prop designed to create doubt in voter’s minds. It is a classic from the narcissist’s playbook of manipulation. cRappler has replaced ABS-CBN as the opposition’s mouthpiece. They are reinforced by other anti-Duterte media outlets controlled by oligarchs who are opposed to a Marcos Presidency.
The politicians who have endorsed Robredo either have no space in the Marcos camp or have been paid handsomely for their defection. They control their bailiwicks and are sure of re-election which is why they swtiched to begin with.
It is also clear that the US is playing its hand through cRappler, Vera Files and the anti-Marcos and anti-Duterte oligarchs. Money continues to flow to Robredo’s campaign. With nine days to go, Filipinos willl be going to the polls in a historic vote. At the end of the day on May 9, the verdict will either be a total repudiation of the “EDSA Revolution” or the vindication and restoration of the Marcos’.
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