Politics is addition

“Politics is addition” — the line popularized by the late Senate president Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez — is a rule still followed by politicians today. In every political contest, those who have the numbers always win — and this has remained unchanged from the time of Amang Rodri-guez, except that the contest before was between the Nacionalista Party (NP) and the Liberal Party (LP). Today, the multiparty system has made it even more crucial to get the most number of supporters to carry a party to victory.

It looks like the good old days are back. The NP and LP — the two oldest political parties in the country — are now scrambling to forge alliances with the expected fallout from the surprise resignation of Chiz Escudero from the Nationalist People’s Coalition. While the focus is currently on the national level as people watch and wait for parties to finalize their bets for president, vice president and senators, this will change once the November 30 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacies is reached. The attention would shift to the local level with local candidates working to assure their victory. In which case, a presidential candidate’s organizational capability will come into play. This was an analysis echoed by NP standard bearer Manny Villar during last Thursday’s Manila Overseas Press Club “Presidentiables Series” where he was the guest speaker.

 Villar — the poor-boy-turned-billionaire — has put his managerial skills into good use, building up the Nacionalista Party from one that was practically reduced into insignificance to a major party again with members elected to various local positions.

The senator proudly says the NP is set to reclaim its old glory, continuously adding politicians and leaders from other sectors to its ranks, like the recent defection of four governors (LRay Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, Surigao del Norte’s Robert Ace Barbers, Davao del Sur’s Douglas Cagas and Roger Espina of Biliran) and over a thousand incumbent officials in key local positions. Villafuerte’s province has over a million votes, while Cagas and Barbers will strengthen NP influence in Mindanao. More will be joining in the days to come, Villar disclosed.

On the other hand, Noynoy and Mar are also moving, getting some local officials from Cavite to join the LP. Noynoy is also open for talks with the NPC about a possible coalition. Next to Lakas-Kampi, the NPC has the most number of Congressmen.

Obviously, the NP standard bearer is still a frontrunner, judging from an IBON survey showing Noynoy leading but with a smaller margin. It is perceived that Manny’s strength mostly comes from the D&E and the OFW sector, which could gravitate more to the Villar camp if it gets a running mate like Loren Legarda. A lot of Mar and Noynoy’s supporters come from the AB crowd, although the LP tandem is still basking on the emotions felt because of the death of Noynoy’s mother, and the additional mileage brought about by Mar’s recent wedding.

Villar’s edge is his experience and managerial skills which he says are necessary in solving our enormous problems. While Noynoy may lack experience, he and Mar are successfully projecting themselves as the agents of change who are the opposite of the current administration.

In any case, the MOPC Presidentiables Series is proving to be an opportune venue for candidates to present their programs and credentials. At the forum, Villar said a far more serious problem is the continuing poverty of millions of Filipinos — which has remained unaddressed because none of the past leaders were genuinely poor and have never worried about getting the next meal or known the indignity of living in a cramped shanty. 

While OFWs prop up the economy with their remittances, Manny says the time should come when Filipinos will be working abroad because it’s their choice — and not forced to do so because there are no jobs here. Judging from the reaction of guests, Villar came across as very impressive, drawing appreciative laughs with his answers.

Asked about his best competitor and the man to beat, the former Senate president said the man to beat need not be the best competition but one who is the most popular — admitting that a big challenge for any candidate is to beat the so-called “popularity syndrome.” Organizational skills at the local level however will make a lot of difference once the official election period begins. What the voting public should realize, he says, is that they are looking at Manny Villar as himself, by himself — not his parents or tycoons or presidents propping up his candidacy.

In the end, what would matter most is winning the hearts and minds of the majority belonging to the lower classes. The candidate who would be able to project himself as the most qualified and one who can genuinely work towards improving the plight of the most marginalized in this country will be the winner in 2010.

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Talking about addition, the Comelec should have done something about the expected long lines of people waiting to register at the last minute. But the fact of the matter is, the registration process was very tedious. People had to wait in line to get the forms, fill them up, then line up again to have them checked before submission. A lot of people complained about this method, showing the Comelec’s lack of foresight and organization. In the first place, the poll body should have added more people to do extra work knowing the Filipino’s “last minute” syndrome. The clamor for an extension is certainly justified since the recent calamities — plus the arrival of Typhoon Santi — prevented so many from registering.

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