“Ga-Pus or Galing at Puso”: Indications of more of the same

The name that Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero so graciously and creatively baptized their political party begs the questions of what GALING and what ''PUSO'' are they trying to build as a political brand. Is it GALING from Escudero's projected brilliance, and PUSO from Poe's supposed compassion for the powerless? GALING is somewhat ''pagbubuhat ng bangko,'' claiming virtually that Grace and Chiz are more competent than Roxas, Binay, and Santiago. And PUSO implies that the current administration is not pro-people and not pro-poor. In the ABS-CBN interview last Wednesday, she claimed that she has already identified her Cabinet members. Well, let's see.

If GA-PUS is that brilliant, why did they ask Senator Panfilo Lacson to leave the party as guest candidate, only to be substituted by Edu Manzano? That decision and action made by both Poe and Escudero already indicate that they have no sense of rectitude and propriety in the choice of their candidates for senator. Who is Manzano and what has he done to be considered better than Lacson? Ping Lacson is a known crime-buster, almost at the level of Rody Duterte in passion and intensity. But Ping has more and better track record than Manzano. That was throwing away an apple only to pick up a lemon. Brilliant move? Giving up a diamond to opt for a ....never mind.

That was the first test in decision-making that Grace Poe bungled. Manzano cannot hold a candle before Ping Lacson, both in competence and in character. Ping did better than Mar Roxas in the post-Yolanda disaster rehabilitation. Lacson proved himself as a PNP chief and also in the Senate. He also showed sterling example by refusing to receive any single centavo from PDAP or DAP. Only the late Joker Arroyo has that same record. And he was sacrificed by Grace and Chiz in favor of Manzano. Was Ace Durano, their campaign manager consulted on such a monumental ''faux pas?" What kind of brilliance was that? My God.

GALING AT PUSO appears to be another masked version of the DAANG MATUWID, which is all nothing but sloganeering and falsehood in advertising, hypocrisy at its worst. Its shortened version, GA-PUS, is more indicative of the trap that we shall all fall into if we commit the same mistake of allowing ourselves to be lured, hoodwinked and be seduced by the msleading brand of being both excellent and compassionate. These two neophytes, Senator Grace and Chiz, do not have a track record to speak of and brag about, nor credential to anoint themselves with such high-sounding paeans as GALING and PUSO. Compared to the achievements of Senator Miriam, Secretary Mar and VP Jojo, Poe and Escudero are all potentials and no track record. Masyado pang mga hilaw.

Well, Shakespeare once wrote: "What is in a name. That which we call a rose, by any name, smells as sweet." But let us call a spade a spade. A political party, by any glorified title or name, smells as rotten as the one it is trying to replace. The Filipinos should be wiser now. The times of slogans and false advertising are over. They may fool all the people some of the time, or some of the people all the time. But they cannot fool all the people all the time. Filipino voters may be silly or even crazy at times. But they are not that stupid. Compared to Senator Miriam, they cannot claim GALING.'' Compared to Secretary Mar, and VP Binay, they have no evidence of PUSO.

I do not like the LP or the UNA. But this GA-PUS thing surpasses both in terms of trying to mislead the voters again. It cannot even demonstrate some shade of brilliance in the choice of its senatorial slate. How can they show that they have a heart, except if they refer to the name of somebody's wife. I do not know about you, dear readers. As for me, there is only one word that describes my feeling vis-a-vis certain politicians. Exasperation. They claim to love our country. Poe has renounced Philippine citizenship once, and her husband and children are still US citizens. I feel that these trapos think that we are all stupid. Shame, shame, shame.