Jingle Bells in May

  Last Monday, an item in this paper about "Oplan Jingle Bells" grabbed my attention. I went, oh, wow, as I read the supposed plot to foist Erap’s scion on the Senate as its president, and on to president of the country by 2010.

While the plot has since been denied, quite eloquently if I may say so, by GO spokesman Adel Tamano, I couldn’t help but think how clever Erap’s camp could really be. After all, hasn’t Erap languished in jail all this time, yet his prowess, or should I say, power, over the opposition remains undissipated? I may not at all be in agreement with whatever his agenda is, but I appreciate brilliance wherever it occurs, so I can only chuckle about his latest power play.

And what amusing terms they’ve hatched: Oplan Jingle Bells to bring Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to the Senate presidency of the 14th Congress. It has the ring of Christmas, American fashion. According to news reports, the plan was hatched as early as February, but finalized some three weeks ago during a meeting at Estrada’s rest house in Tanay, Rizal. Reportedly present during the meeting were Horacio "Boy" Morales, Atty. Rolly Ramirez and newspaper columnist Herman Laurel. Now why would these non-fans of America, think of a code name so utterly American?

Ah, yes, the plan has to do with offering financial assistance before the May 14 elections to certain "winnable" senatorial bets, even if these are allied with the administration’s Team Unity. Supposedly on the Oplan Jingle Bells’ list are Mike Defensor, Tito Sotto and Juan Miguel Zubiri. 

Well, I don’t mind having these three as part of the 14th Congress’ Senate. They already have a track record in legislative work. But with the baring of Oplan Jingle Bells, somehow there could be a cloud of doubt cast over their commitment to the administration. Or was that part of the plan’s objectives? Hmmm. Well, they’re tough workers so I’m sure they’ll manage to dispel any doubts about their actions in the Senate, if at all they get elected.

Now, as to the supposed plan to bring Sen. Jinggoy to the presidency by 2010, it’s reportedly called Oplan Possible Dream. My, my.

But seriously now, any expose of this sort is good, overall, because it adds to our perspective, especially now that May 14 approaches. As citizens and voters, we must always bear in mind where we want our country to go with the next batch of leaders we elect to public office.

My personal wish is for the Erap camp to apply their brilliance to more constructive matters, such as doing their bit for nation building, even as they remain in the opposition. I have said it before, and I say it again, we may not totally agree with all the decisions and moves President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo makes, but she is the legitimate leader of our country, and in the six or so years she has been at the helm, she and her people have managed to turn around our fiscal situation, which has led to some economic miracles, that have allowed us to move on and fix our institutional problems.

If we love this country, we must somehow shed our personality-oriented politics, and bring ourselves to the more responsible outlook of doing our bit within our spheres of influence.

That would mean, of course, that if by July this year, the elected senators choose to support Jinggoy Estrada for the Senate presidency, there must be a level playing field. Certainly, he has the track record of service, and yes, the financial wherewithal from his father. And of course, he will always have Erap as an ace. By 2010, if he does decide to make a bid for the presidency, then let the people be the judge. 

But, in the meantime, my appeal to the opposition is to lower the decibel level of their noise against the administration because at the rate they’re going, they just might manage to bring our country, our entire economy, 89 million Filipinos, down a path no one would want even on their worst enemy.

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Yes, AGHAM Party List is alive and well and going up in the survey charts.

That’s what Dr. Emil Javier, national president and No. 1 nominee of this Party List that seeks representation for science workers in the next Congress, told a presscon. The presscon was held to dispel the confusion created by malefactors who pasted posters in Los Banos saying, "AGHAM supports BAYAN MUNA for party list." Tanodbayans tore down those posters which were pasted on "wrong" places. Far from supporting the leftist party list, AGHAM is supporting itself and not withdrawing from the race.

As we can see, a party list can be victimized by squid tactics.

Another clarification made by Dr. Javier is that people voting for AGHAM may write Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan which is No. 33 in the Comelec list of party lists. Or one can simply write AGHAM.

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My e-mail: [email protected]