Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban has never been an objective magistrate. Like Antonio Carpio, he leans towards the opposition. Panganiban clerked for Jovito Salonga after he passed the bar. While the opposition has its share of legal luminaries, the record of lawyers who worked for Apo Lakay can’t be beat. To date, not a single Presidential Decree issued by Marcos has been overturned. Proof that the crafted laws signed by the then President were as good as any crafted by the Legislature.
Panganiban answers the proverbial question about what happened from October 8 to November 15 to the administration which couldn’t come up with a powerhouse ticket to run in the 2022 election. The administration normally has the equity of the incumbent and the vast resources of the government machinery working in its favor but this was not to with the Duterte administration.
Why?
For one, gaps may have developed between the power blocs supporting the administration. The opposition uses the acronym MAD; Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte but there is also Villar. Marcos was poised to run but not without the sanction of the others, as President or Vice-President, depending on what was agreed upon. Arroyo and Villar were silent. Duterte pere’ was noisy. The Go-Duterte tandem was floated by no less than the President himself. When it didn’t fly, the President said he was retiring from politics even if he publicly accepted the PDP-Laban nomination for Vice-President and signed his Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance.
The rift between Daughterte, Duterte and Go became public when Sara issued a statement to the effect that she wouldn’t want anything to do with Batman and Robin, and equally to the PDP-Laban’s similar tandem of Pimentel and Munsayac to fuck off. This put all four of them in their proper place.
Apparently, this is what the President was pissed off about. Thus the threat to run for Vice-President after Daughterte declared she was running for the same post, after defecting to Lakas-CMD and the elevation of Go from Vice-President under PDP-Laban to President under PDDS. Thus, Go-Duterte became the de facto administration tandem, which is now the object of speculation among the opposition who’s singular goal is to prevent a Marcos-Duterte dynasty. This is basically a big up yours to the Filipino people and proves that they will always prioritize their vested interests first over that of the citzenry.
Panganiban now brings up the specter of a Go win, eventual resignation and the ascenscion of Daughterte to the Presidency which would give her a term of 12 years under this scenario assuming Go resigns even before a year is up. All of these was made possible by none other than the Yellowidiots themselves when they ousted Erap in 2001. The doctrine of constructive resignation was concocted by then Chief Justice Hilario Davide and Associate Justice Panganiban to justify GMA’s assumption to the Presidency. She then proceeded to run for another term under the based on the premise that she only served the unexpired term of Erap under the principle of succession and not election as President. See how hypocritical Yellowidiots are when they are the one’s exploiting loopholes not in the Omnibus Election Code, mind you, but in the Constitution itself? Then they proceed to complain about the use of placeholders and substitution which became the norm in this election cycle.
Panganiban again brings up the issue of unity in the ranks of the opposition given the high voter preference for the Marcos-Duterte ticket. He would prefer that Sen. Ping Lacson and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno drop their respective Presidential bids in favor of Leni Robredo. The question is, why the insistence on Lacson giving way to Robredo?
The obvious answer is Robredo’s voter preference is higher at this point. But in terms of qualifications, competency and experience, Lacson tops Robredo even if he isn’t an economist-lawyer. It is only Lacson who has presented voters with his governance platform and continues to disseminate the same with his active participation in various fora focusing on the Presidential candiates.
Lacson doesn’t even identify with the opposition to begin with. He has met with Robredo twice to discuss “unity” but in both instances, nothing came out of it. When asked the question if he would still be open to such a proposal during his participation at the Rotary Club of Manila last week, Lacson’s categorical answer was no. The Senator disclosed that he and Senate President Tito Sotto are in the race to win it. There will be no stepping aside for any other candidate in the near future.
Given the length of time before May 2022, a lot can still happen. The race is not over yet despite the lead of the the Marcos-Duterte ticket over their rivals. The debate series will be the game-changer. This is the time when voters will make their final decision as the race turns its final corner heading towards Election Day.
It’s about time that Filipinos learn about the importance of an issues-based campaign rather than one highlighted by gimmickry. The next President faces humongous challenges of setting the country on the path to economic recovery in a hostile environment with no end to the pandemic in sight and the all nations still grappling with the disruption it has caused. The public has to choose on the basis of plans of action and not motherhood statements.
Come March 2022, it will most likely be a race between Lacson and Marcos and Sotto and Duterte. The other candidates will just be watching on the sidelines.
Maybe the former Chief Justice should ask Leni Robredo to withdraw her candidacy if he is that desperate to prevent a possible Marcos-Duterte victory on May 2022.
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