Ping Lacson will ‘tell all’ on Impact tonight / FPJ invited, too

To settle the chop suey issue once and for all, Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson will appear "live" on our Impact 2004 tonight on ANC/ABS-CBN at 8 p.m. Lacson, who has been campaigning in Mindanao, will be in Cebu – and will conduct a frank dialogue with this writer over our globe-girdling network’s satellite "feed".

The outspoken Lacson, whose Presidential bid – long languishing in the 11 to 12 percent categories – has moved up in the IBON polls, but he’s still far behind the frontrunners, President GMA and Da King, FPJ. Yet, as he reiterated yesterday, he believes he’s sure to win.

From whence springs this conviction? From feng shui or from more mundane, if somewhat far-fetched, reality? Are there grumblings about a coup in the lightning flashes on the horizon? Or can a man – without a vice presidential candidate (a "burden", he earlier told me), a senatorial line-up, a congressional ticket, or even governors, mayors, etc. in his infrastructure – streak upwards to victory?

Does Lacson hope a great upsurge, a tidal wave of support among the people will wash him triumphant into the gilded halls of Malacañang?

This Lone Ranger of the Long Shot doesn’t even have a Tonto to kemo sabay him unless this role is being played by Carlos Padilla who looks on TV like some glum Indian.

Some things Lacson has got. Moxie, savvy, and "the mouth" to deliver his platform in double-barreled language, unlike another candidate who’s seemingly tongue-tied and resorts to saluting all over the place. Or will that candidate’s tongue suddenly be un-tied at long last, and words of wisdom – like golden nuggets – begin to tumble out of his lips? Abangan, his still star-struck supporters say, look for "The Transformation".

The burning topic of the hour is whether there’s still a chance – increasingly remote, owing to an excess of hubris, conceit, chutzpah and hoopla – for Lacson and FPJ to unite.

Something’s and someone’s got to give.

You understand how the old saw operates: When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, what could result? Ping thinks he’s irresistible, while Poe is The Rock (like that guy in the Mummy movies). Perhaps only magic can resolve the situation.

The trouble is that there’s no magic in the air, only thunderbolts being hurled by Super-Glo who’s reputedly spending billions of bucks (yours and mine included, many suspect) to make sure her Magic Carpet gets a safe return-landing in the Palace, while she sows booby traps galore in he wayward path of her challengers.

La Glorietta has even defined the battlefield, by pronouncing the "fight" now compacted into a two-person sugfest, a two-champion manu-mano Superstar between herself and Ronnie Poe. La Emperadora versus Da King, with Supercop supposed to have fallen by the wayside!

Yet Ping persists. He’ll win, he avers. He won’t slide down. Is there a thunderbolt, or two in his pocket?

That’s what he’ll reveal tonight. (Patalastas, ito.) In short, beware the kamay na bakal.

* * *

We’ve invited FPJ, to, to the party – and the word from the field is that he may not be able to come. Too bad. This was his opportunity.

Is there still a chance for a merger between the two camps? We journalist are the gadflies who buzz around, promoting such confrontations – or scuttling would-be agreements. GMA’s gadflies are busily at work, but the worst foes of any "unity" agreement are the "insiders" in both camps. They don’t want the other candidate’s big boys and gals invading their turf, and getting parceled out some of the anticipated posts, perks and goodies. Sabotage is the name of the game.

By the way, FPJ was a "No Show" in Mindoro or even at the Sampaloc, Manila, rally last Wednesday.

I’m told by the disappointed younger leaders in his pangkat (I don’t have to keep translating that recurring term) that FPJ can be eloquent, but has, ab initio, been muzzled by the ASO Gang. Geez, is this true? Can’t you see and hear them speaking for him? They’re all over the place, on radio, television, etc. In the meantime, Panday was all over the landscape, reaching out to a sea of adoring hands, his eyes concealed behind dark glasses (even at night), his handsome visage wrapped in some profound thought or a facsimile of it, delivering that "royal salute" of his at every side – no relation, I hasten to add, to the whisky of that name.

Ronnie told me last week that he’s even stopped drinking beer altogether – and the interesting thing is that he doesn’t miss it. What he’s missing out on, however, is "communication." He must begin to speak eloquently into that microphone, instead of poking it angrily at TV reporters who hop onto the entablado. (He reputedly punched a wall later, in disgust at himself, after the incident.)

In the meantime, Gloria once more in excelsis is in full offensive. She’s got four helicopters at her beck and call every minute. She’s invaded Ronnie Poe’s home province of Pangasinan twenty (yes, 20) times since the campaign season began.

While FPJ is from San Carlos, GMA warbles in Ilocano, her mom, Evangeline, came from Binalonan. GMA is a linguist, speaking in Ilocano. Cebuano, Kapangpangan, Tagalog – and of course, smattering of other dialects from Aparri to Jolo. Thus far, FPJ has shown himself just a "mumblist", you know, mumble, mumble, mumble but flashing that sincerity and "Good Guy" multimegawatt smile – when the spirit moves him.

His greatest drawback could be the "star complex", the same disease which afflicted Erap. But Estrada, at least, managed to suppress it, or disguise it, during the years (17 at that) he served as mayor and kingpin of San Juan, as a Senator, a Vice President and finally a President. Now, Erap goes around in his two GMA-gifted golf carts, since his kingdom has been reduced to Camp Capinpin and his across-the-street Rancho and Rest House.

He once told me, "Ronnie is bright, and is a great leader – only he doesn’t know how to express himself like a politician. Me, I’m a politician – that’s the difference. But I’m for him 100 percent!"

When you plunge into politics, FPJ, you’ve got to prove yourself a quick-learner. You may be The Man on Horseback, but you can’t Captain the Olympic Swimming Team without learning to swim. That’s the long and short of it.

Tonight, if he decides to join the fun, we’ll see whether the Idol has acquired the breast stroke, shucked the faint butterfly stroke, and can swoosh determinedly to the goal.

To mix my metaphors, it’s the Last Two Minutes in this ball game. After Friday next week – sanamagan, it’s May already!

* * *

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando is absolutely right to insist he will not allow anti-GMA groups from staging a so-called Labor Day rally on EDSA this May 1 or Saturday next week.

EDSA must never again be choked up by a rally, for whatever reason. If a revolution is staged on EDSA, well, that’s another matter. Revolutions are illegal, anyway – becoming "legitimate" only if they succeed – so they don’t require a rally permit.

The reality is that life must go on – and EDSA is the main artery of a metropolis of 12 million. When any mob cuts the artery, life comes to a standstill. Since EDSA One, EDSA Dos, and Erap’s EDSA Tres were staged on EDSA, every bunch of protesters or would-be troublemakers wants to cash in on the symbolism of EDSA.

It’s time we realized that a nation can’t go on clogging up its streets and thoroughfares with shouting protesters, demonstrators, agitators, and anarchists, and expect to progress. People get prevented from going to work, children from going to school, housewives from going to market, laborers (including daily wage workers who desperately need a day’s pay) from getting to their workplace.

"Go to the Luneta or White Plains," Fernando sensibly suggested to all would-be anti-Glo or anti-anything protesters.

We have to commend Bayani Fernando for being consistent and for doing his job despite his disappointment over not having been picked to run for Vice President. He’s conducting his drives and campaigns for the betterment of Metro Manila without fear of political backlash or recrimination.

He tackles tough situations first, without trying to side-step or look like Prince Charming. Go for it, Bayani! When your dad named you "hero", he must have really meant it.

Bayani Fernando will never be a popular guy. He doesn’t smile often enough, or try to sweet-talk his way out of sticky situations. But what’s popularity? Service is what he delivers. He soldiers on in the trenches, and politely declines to give guys like me publicity press releases or even self-serving column items, even when I ask him for them.

Now what do you think of that?