The Anointed One

It was clear from the very start that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas would be anointed as the administration candidate. Although some people believe that the president’s endorsement may not add much to dramatically boost Mar’s survey ratings, there is no doubt it would still be considerable.  At the end of the day, the massive resources of the government – whether directly or indirectly used for Mar’s candidacy – will still be a significant factor in the May 2016 elections. Whoever will be going against the Liberal Party standard bearer will have to contend with a massive, well-funded political machinery.

Judging from the turnout at Club Filipino, it’s clear the majority of the country’s elite will go for Mar – although there were obviously a few carpetbaggers and hangers-on present. If Grace Poe decides to go for the Presidency with Chiz Escudero (but some people in the NPC are not too excited with Chiz), then the tandem could very well be a deal-breaker for Mar. Surveys show Grace and Chiz can cut across all sectors of society – from the elite and middle class to the masses.

Surveys also show Vice President Jojo Binay has so far lost a large chunk of the elite, middle class and a portion of his masa following after the corruption issues came out. However, he still has a loyal masa base which is still a major portion of the voting public.

Already we hear about insinuations that the PCOS machines would be manipulated, but I have been told on many occasions by the Smartmatic people that it is virtually impossible to manipulate the results. The key is that Comelec chair Andy Bautista will stick to his word that clean and honest elections will be a legacy that he will leave – because he owes no one his position except the Filipino people.

The China syndrome

We had a very good discussion at the recent Stratbase ADR Institute roundtable discussion on international relations (see photos in the Allure section) and I must say our top diplomat, Secretary Albert del Rosario, really deserves a lot of credit for bringing us to where we are today as far as the Chinese issue and the West Philippine Sea is concerned. He stood pat on the conviction that we should take the territorial dispute through legal arbitration; obviously we cannot fight the Chinese any other way. His impassioned stance that “right is might” and the warnings about the growing Chinese aggression has caught fire – with other nations feeling some disquiet about Chinese reclamation activities in the disputed maritime territories. 

Secretary Del Rosario admitted “it was lonely at the top,” so to speak, when ASEAN nations were reluctant to discuss the issue but now more countries are sharing our perspective about the giant nation that seems to be going all out in its aggression – even in the Indian Ocean and everywhere else. In fact, India has started beefing up its Naval fleet and strengthening alliances with the US, Japan, and Australia due to the disturbing developments in the Indian Ocean region with the growing presence of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy and the construction of several ports in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. We don’t know where the Chinese are planning to bring this situation but there could be a confrontation sooner or later – I hope not near our shores – but it could happen.

Secretary Del Rosario said the China issue will be inherited by the next administration but as he told us during the forum, he hopes he has been able to lay the groundwork for the future Foreign Secretary and the future president to continue along the path of our diplomatic policy. It’s a changing world, and the China syndrome is a major issue that the next president will have to tackle with care.

Preparing for the big one

We have to hand it to Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino who keeps trying to find ways and means to solve the traffic problem, despite the fact that he is up against the world, so to speak – where it’s a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kind of situation. With the increasing volume of vehicles plying the streets every year, traffic has become almost impossible to solve – and no one in his right mind envies him of being “Traffic Czar.”

Nevertheless, he just keeps plodding despite the brickbats and expletives, implementing programs to make Metro Manila become resilient and prepared for climate change challenges, like the recent metro-wide earthquake drill that saw a million volunteers participating in simulation activities to see what should be done in case a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs.

Command posts were set up, ambulances and helicopters were deployed to simulate rescue and airlift operations for the wounded, and even motorcycle groups practiced transporting casualties over debris-filled roads. Participating school children now know they should “drop, cover and hold” for 45 seconds – the estimated duration of a strong quake.

There were some people who dismissed the shake drill as inconvenient, failing to realize that preparedness is the key to cutting down the loss of lives. We all know a major earthquake could come sooner or later to vulnerable places like Metro Manila, so every Filipino should know what to do in case a big one occurs.

As always, we hear all kinds of unnecessary comments and the usual “bahala na” attitude. Filipinos had better take these warnings from MMDA and PhiVolcs seriously — especially those who think these drills and preparations are a big joke. When that day comes, the joke can very well be on them.

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