By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr.
Contributor
Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr., the
object of President Benigno S. Aquino III's slime politics lately, has remained
unscathed, despite the Philippine President's, and his party's, personal-based
attacks against him in their hopeless hope to derail the senator's strong and
steady surge to the top of the vice presidential race. The latest Pulse Asia
survey (Mar. 6-13, 2016), commissioned by no less than the giant media outlet,
ABS-CBN, indicated that BBM is now on top of the vice presidential race at 25%,
up by 1% from the previous survey, while Sen. Chiz Escudero, his closest rival,
scored 24%, a 2% drop from his previous rating. It is worth noting that
Bongbong leads all VP candidates in Metro Manila, the most anti-establishment
region in the whole archipelago, with a 35% preference vis-a-vis Chiz' 30%
rating. Equally worth noting is the fact that BBM tops the voters' preference
from the ABC class nationwide and evens up with Chiz on the D class.
These numbers should be
shocking to the Liberal Party, especially PNoy, the party's number one attack
dog against the Ilocos Norte senator, for the battering ram of politicos
opposed to BBM's elevation to more political prominence that is the martial law
issue has put no dent on the senator's wall thus far. People, it now appears,
prefer objective, valid issues to ponder against subjective ones that have no
relevance to the realities of today's political order in the first place. To
reiterate this writer's previous opinion on the martial law issue, it would be
unfair to lay blame on Bongbong for his father's alleged bad governance under
the martial law regime without the son's hand in it while laying no blame on
PNoy for his mother's bad presidency even without the son's hand in it too.
Blaming Juan for Pedro's omission violates unwisely the basic principles of
human liberty, which the Filipinos, by culture, do not accept.
It is a one-way street PNoy
and the Liberal Party want to traverse by themselves alone, which the people
are repudiating so eloquently with their setting now the Ilocano senator on the
lead in the vice presidential derby.
While people are not swayed
by the filth of politics the Liberal Party is casting on Bongbong, the
senator's candidacy is gaining fortifying momentum nationwide, the latest of
which is epitomized by the assertive declaration of support of him by Zamboanga
Del Sur Governor Antonio H. Cerilles, the Chavit Singson of his province, in
terms of electors' trust and loyalty, and the acknowledged political leader of
Region 9, which views him with indubitable respect and revered of his
competence and fairness in public service.
Tony Cerilles is
half-Ilocano, as his mother hails from the Madarang clan of Ilocos Sur. But
this is not the sole reason why he has thrown his full support to BBM's
candidacy. The Zambo governor started his political career in midstream of the
martial law regime. He was a young practicing lawyer when he successfully ran
for a seat in the Philippine Assembly where the late President Ferdinand E.
Marcos noticed his leadership potential and made him an important ally of his
in Mindanao and in Congress. He never lost any election forward on and hopped
from one government position to another. A certified environmentalist like the
late President, Mr. Cerilles was made the DENR Secretary by President Estrada,
then became congressman and governor of his province thereafter. Today, his
family, like the Singsons of Ilocos Sur, tightly controls the Province of
Zamboanga Del Sur. His wife is a congresswoman, their only child is a municipal
mayor and his brother is a member of the provincial board. Like the Singsons
too, the Cerilles clan treats their people with fairness and respect, cascading
even further upon the whole of Region 9.
Last March 9-12, Governor
Cerilles staged a massive assembly of people at the Megayon Convention Hall in
Pagadian City to launch the introduction into the political mainstream of the
party-list he founded, the Katipunan Guardian Brotherhood, otherwise known as
KGB, which is listed as no. 112 in the Comelec's official ballot. The three-day
event was huge and compelling as politicians from other provinces and regions
came in droves to attend. All the 28 mayors of Zamboanga Del Sur were there, so
were politicians from Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Lanao, Sibugay, Zambo Norte,
Leyte, Cebu and the Ilocos. Senatorial candidates Sherwin Gatchalian, Francis
Tolentino, Sammy Pagdilao and Martin Romualdez were also in attendance, so was
Davao Congressman Anton Lagdameo, better known as husband of movie actress Dawn
Zulueta. This massive gathering of bigtime names was reflective of Cerilles'
political stature nationwide. Zambo Sur has 800,000 registered voters alone, a
third of which will be more than enough to earn two seats for the KGB in the
Philippine House of Representatives; and huge to a candidate running for a
national office likewise
The Pagadian confab's
defining moment emerged into a compelling scene when Governor Cerilles
introduced his most prized guest to the jam-packed crowd in the Magayon Convention
Hall: He was Senator Bongbong Marcos. And as he pulled the VP aspirant up stage
and declared his full and unqualified support of him, people began to cry, I
was told. We learned too that those people's tears were tears of joy entwined
with nostalgic memory of the senator's father, and grateful as well that the
political icon of Region 9's vast power was being thrown behind the candidacy
of the son of the late president, who, I was likewise informed, was well loved
by the Zamboanguenos.
It might be a coincidence
that the Mar. 6-13 Pulse Asia survey which nudged Bongbong up to the top of the
vice presidential race ran in parallel with the Pagadian confab, but there is
no telling how huge Cerilles' endorsement of the Ilocano senator's candidacy
had to be. With Cerilles' support of Bongbong, there is a great possibility
that the offices of the President and the Vice President will be occupied by a
guy from Mindanao and the Ilocos Region respectively, given the indications on
the last survey too on the presidential race. Mayor Rody Duterte of Davao is
now just 1% behind survey leader Grace Poe. The race for the presidency is so
tight and to the tough talking mayor's strategists, the flash point they must
not miss to examine is their candidate's un-competitive rating in Luzon. With
some pragmatic moves down North perhaps, where Binay and Poe substantially lead
him, Duterte's strategists may blend their candidate's cause with the clannish
Ilocanos who are bent on staying solid behind Bongbong no matter what.
For Duterte's sake, however,
his latest political ad enjoining the electors not to vote for him if they will
not vote also for his running mate, Sen. Allan Cayetano, in this writer's
opinion, is embarrassingly full of presumptuousness and arrogance. People say
that you do not attach a condition if you are asking for a favor.
Duterte's gimmick has virtually slammed the door shut on whoever is
inclining to vote for him but whose priority is on a vice presidential
candidate other than Mr. Cayetano. I want to vote for Duterte too, matter of
factly speaking, but I feel enslaved and insulted by his rejoinder that he does
not want my vote if I am not going to vote for his running mate. Maybe the
brash talking Mayor of Davao should quit stretching the bounds of what he
perceives to be the people's acceptance of his gutter rhetoric and start to
realize that flattering himself too often is just weirdly boring.
Many voters in Ilocos Norte
who are leaning for Duterte have been turned off by the ad. They said that it would
be just fine with them if he does not need their vote, after all, they would
rather vote for Bongbong for vice president than vote for Duterte for
President.
The party-list KGB is founded
by Gov. Antonio Cerilles but he is not one of its nominees. Its first nominee
is Atty. Marjun Cerilles, the governor's nephew and a cum laude graduate from
the University of the Philippines law school. The second nominee is Atty.
Felipe Favila, from the great province of Abra, a very close friend of the
governor, and mine too.
Tony Cerilles and Ipe, as I
fondly call Atty. Favila, were my classmates in law school at the University of
the East. They graduated and became lawyers; I did not, because I was forced by
circumstance to move to the United States after my third year. Ipe worked hard
to help Tony get elected as the federated president of the UE student law
organization. I helped too, but not as vigorous as Ipe did. Both guys were
bright and resourceful. The leadership traits in them were already apparent in
college, even at their young ages. When Cerilles became a congressman, Ipe
became his chief legal officer. Thereafter, with Tony's help, he became the
consultant to the chairman of the PNR Skyway and PNCC Legaspi. He also became
the assistant general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority and a
consultant to Q.C. Mayor Herbert Bautista.
Ipe and I re-crossed path
when I came home for good after more than 20 years of residency in America. We
accidentally met at the McDonald's by the Sulu Restaurant a couple of years
back. He still recognized me, after all the years past, and I readily
recognized him too when he called out my name across several tables I was
seated from him. Our friendship, in short, was rekindled. When he and Aida
Aspiras were forming Kailian, the association of Ilocanos greatly responsible
for testing the political waters for Bongbong, he readily urged me to join the
group. Kailian launched the first rally for the Bongbong Marcos Movement in the
exclusive compound of La Vista last June 6, 2015, which was attended by Marcos
die-hards from the legendary Solid North. Some guys from Region 3 and Manila,
including Kit Tatad, attended too. It was a vibrant assemblage of people hoping
for BBM to declare that he was running for president. Unfortunately, as it
turned out, he has preferred to be in the vice presidential race.
KGB is a nationalist
organization opposed to foreign intervention on domestic affairs and
"dismemberment of any island of the Philippine territory." Its
mission is "to strengthen political structures that will address poverty,
unemployment, illiteracy and will provide policies that will make the
Philippines globally competitive." Although it advocates for lasting peace
in the land, especially in Mindanao, KGB is opposed to the Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL), as its present version is "not inclusive." Cerilles
argues that only about 10% of Muslims are residents of Mindanao, "why
would they be so privileged now to run the daily lives of the predominantly
Christian populace with so little constraint from the national
government?" Cerilles and group want peace in Mindanao, but not to be
governed by the BBL as presently written. His stand, therefore, squarely
conforms with Bongbong's on the BBL.
What is so compelling about
the KGB's plan of government is its intention to revive the railway system, as
envisioned by the late President Marcos, from Manila to the Ilocos and Cagayan
regions. This is an ambitious economic program on this party-list's agenda that
Attys. Marjun Cerilles and Favila intend to aggressively pursue if they get
elected to congress. As Ilocanos, these guys are well aware of the travel
nuances involved between Manila and the North, let alone the tremendous boast
the railways would give to the tourism program of the government in Northern
Luzon.
Harmonizing their effort with
BBM, if the latter gets elected to the vice presidency, will not be a tall
order to do, Ipe asserts. " It would be nice if the huge support that
Cerilles has delivered for Bongbong's cause be returned—even for symbolic
reasons alone—at the polls this coming May by the Ilocanos," Ipe jokingly
added. This writer couldn't agree more with Ipe's small wish; after all, the
main men of KGB are all Ilocanos, who like Bongbong, are desirous of
transforming the North into an economic hub.
Comments
Post a Comment