A matter of strategic political timeliness

This is not to belittle, or even weaken a bit, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri’s resignation from the Senate which caught the nation by surprise, like, a bolt of lightning in a clear sunny day.

  The recent political events unfolding, say, the confession of Sr. Supt. Rafael Santiago, Jr. of raiding the congressional repository of ballot boxes and eventual switching of votes; and of Lintang Bedol, former election supervisor in Maguindanao, and of Zaldy Ampatuan’s massive election frauds in his province, in the 2004 and 2007 elections; likewise of former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano, were driving factors for Zubiri to give up the ghost.

 In fact, the election frauds from which Migs Zubiri was a beneficiary per his own admission, were the strong reason for his resignation. Zubiri though, emphasized that he was not privy to or part of the cabal for the commission of the frauds; nonetheless, to protect the honor and dignity of his family and of himself personally, he had to tender his resignation. His giving up the 12th senatorial post belies the Tagalog term of “kapit tuko.”

 In fact, to further facilitate the proclamation of his rival for the 12th senatorial slot, incoming Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Zubiri off-hand vowed to move for dismissal of his counter-protest involving some areas, such as, Manila. Koko Pimentel has been very cavalier, as in a gallant gentleman, in heaping praises over the actuations and statements of Migs Zubiri.

 To repeat, while the nation as a whole has been also all praises for Migs Zubiri which, significantly, presages the future of a sure win in the next senatorial election which, Zubiri also openly aspires for, nevertheless, a sour and sonorous note appears en contra.

 For one, almost all in the know of the election protest status of Koko Pimentel with the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), are aware that he leads by 257,000 votes, much more than the 18,000 lead Zubiri over Pimentel in the original election canvassing. Even Atty. Irene Guevarra, SET Secretary, if one recalls right, had a recent statement that a draft resolution or decision has been crafted awaiting, of course, the final decision of the SET. Moreover, former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. has asserted that in no way can Zubiri overcome the more than 200,000 majority in the SET proceedings, even if Zubiri’s counter-protest be reckoned with.

 In short, both protagonists in the SET contest know or could have known the fact of Koko’s eventual victory. In short, unspoken in between the lines, is that Zubiri knows this fact and, not only to save face, but to turn a sure loss into an opportunity to make “guapito” Migs appear not “kapit tuko”; thus, making an inexorable defeat, as some sort of victory for the future political undertakings that appreciative people for now find a welcome move.

  For another, if that be the scenario plotted by Migs Zubiri, his timely pre-empting the SET decision which is nigh forthcoming, perhaps by a month or lesser – especially with his voluntary resignation – the impact in his favor has already made him heroic. In fact, Migs Zubiri running for the Senate come 2013 is a certainty. He also is cocksure of his victory and, jokingly, said that he’ll die from a heart attack if he’ll be again contesting for the 12th or 13thplace.

 As a fitting postscript, no one knows if some other novel political future event may yet emerge to “shock” the electorate again. In fairness to then Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, his four-year tenure has left some admirable footprints. While Migs Zubiri’s eyebrow-raiser and novel strategy may ultimately still sound a part of politics, Philippine style, the timeliness of his strategy is beyond neither denigrating nor abnegating on his part.

In politics or in any other matter, the proper timing or strategic timeliness, is of effective essence.