By Herbert Vego
PRESIDENTIAL candidate Isko Moreno Domagoso could have done that “supreme sacrifice” he would like opponent Leni Robredo to do. But he and two other contenders – Sen, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales – only succeeded in boosting their image as “enablers” of the candidate who ranks No. 1 in dubious surveys.
In their press conference at the five-star Manila Peninsula Hotel last Sunday, Isko repeatedly asked, “Leni, withdraw.”
But now, Lacson insists that it was not part of the “script” they had agreed to dish out. What they had intended was to chastise Leni for violating her “promise” not to run for president. That was not palatable, either, since “only fools do not change their minds.”
It had been bandied around through the social media that “five presidential candidates” would pull a surprise in that press conference where only the aforementioned three showed up.
Rumor had it that they would withdraw from the race because of surveys showing them “chasing” Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and Leni Robredo. So, whom would they support?
It turned out that while all three agreed to “defeat” Bongbong, they would apparently not want Leni to win, either. Isko’s way to do it is for Leni to back out, noting that she’s just a survey runner-up.
“Come, join us,” he asked her.
Was Isko implying that Leni believes in the commercial surveys that show Bongbong way up on top?
If they really sense danger in a Marcos presidency, then it’s they who would have to withdraw in favor of Robredo.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, when asked to comment on Moreno’s invitation to Robredo, said, “A big joke! Number 2 na gani…”
If she accepts Moreno’s “join us,” then she would also go down the pit of defeat and disappoint the millions of warm bodies who see her as an embodiment of a better governance in the next six years. Ano siya, hilo?
Deep in her heart, Robredo knows the surveys of Pulse Asia, SWS, Octa Research, Laylo Research and Publicus do not mirror reality but part of a conspiracy to rob her of victory.
As regards Lacson’s allegation that Robredo had broken her word not to run, let him be reminded of his own foolish proposal months before the deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy – that whoever would emerge as the highest-rated “opposition candidate” in the surveys would be the sole runner against the administration candidate. Make that candidates.
It was only right for the lady in pink to disappoint Ping. She knows that Lacson and his vice-presidential running mate Tito Sotto are not with the opposition. Known allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, they are the principal authors of the Anti-Terrorism Law (Republic Act 11479) that authorizes warrantless arrest and imprisonment of suspected dissidents.
Gonzales is also widely believed to be a Marcos enabler.
The bigger question is why President Duterte has not announced yet his choice for a successor despite his daughter Sara being running mate of Bongbong.
It’s a mystery that he would endorse a presidentiable other than Marcos.
Remember, however, that he once described Bongbong as a “weak leader”. He would have preferred Sara.
Oh, well, it’s complicated. More on that later.
-oOo-
ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
THIS corner agrees with Antique’s Rep. Loren Legarda on the need to bats for strictly implement laws aimed at protecting women and children’s rights.
The exploitation, abuse, and illegal human trade are too apparent to disregard. No thanks to easy access to the internet and technological advancements that are being utilized by unscrupulous individuals who prey on the vulnerability of women and children.”
Let us give credit to whom it is due. Legarda is the principal sponsor of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act which wages “war” against all forms of abuse, including sexual exploitation, human trafficking and prostitution, and cyber pornography, among others.
I agree with her observation that while the Internet is supposed to make life easier and speed up work, there are people who take advantage of that technological advancement to use it as an avenue for human trafficking and abuse.
As stressed in the Magna Carta of Women, women and children have legal rights and individuals should be punished for violating these rights.
Sad to say, there have been “high-tech” violations of laws aimed at preventing violence against women and children.
To quote the congresswoman who is running for senator once again, “An individual’s life can change with just one click of a button or key. Anyone can post malicious rumors and create baseless stories online and may cause permanent psychological, physical and emotional scars that may haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
As former Antique Governor Salvacion “Inday Sally” Zaldivar Perez was telling me, Legarda herself was a victim of a false story attributing to her the “banning” of lawyer Abdiel “Ade” Santillan Fajardo —a candidate for congressman against her brother Antonio Agapito Legarda – from joining the political rally of Vice-President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan in San Jose, Antique in February.
