‘Not kiss of death but of victory’

From among the ten presidential aspirants vying to succeed at the soon vacancy at Malacanang, the next leader of the country must be committed not only to continue the legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte but most especially will not pursue “trumped-up charges” against him. This is how Presidential adviser on political affairs Jacinto Paras is particularly concerned on who President Duterte should endorse in the upcoming May 9 presidential elections.

Paras publicly gave his “advice” to President Duterte to endorse former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., or BBM for short, during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual news forum last Wednesday. Paras made this pitch to anoint BBM to be the Malacanang-backed presidential candidate a day after the intramural-wracked administration party, the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) came out endorsing BBM in their signed resolution. This is the PDP-Laban bloc of pro-administration allies headed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi that acknowledge President Duterte as their nominal chieftain.

The legitimacy of the Cusi bloc of the PDP-Laban has been questioned before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Co-founded by his late namesake father, ex-Senate president Nene Pimentel Jr., Koko belittled the Cusi bloc PDP-Laban resolution. The Koko bloc, on the other hand, supports the presidential bid of erstwhile PDP-Laban president, Sen. Manny Pacquiao who is running under the Cebu-based PROMDI political party.

Although the acknowledged administration party, BBM is the presidential standard-bearer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).

BBM is running with a coalition of political parties that carry the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as the vice presidential candidate of the Lakas-Christian-Muslim Democrats (CMD). The Lakas-CMD secretary-general Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay could not agree more with Paras in recommending BBM to be the anointed administration bet of outgoing President Duterte. Guesting also in my Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum, Pichay echoed the calls of Paras asking President Duterte’s endorsement of the BBM-Sara UniTeam. Like Pichay, Paras is also a card-bearing member of the Lakas-CMD which he first joined when he was still Negros Oriental congressman.

With the personality-based kind of politics we have in our country, Paras and Pichay sneezed at the endorsement of a political party that is divided like the PDP-Laban. Pichay disclosed former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – as the chairperson emeritus of the Lakas-CMD – has been actively involved in the campaign for BBM-Sara UniTeam. According to Pichay, the former president is running again unopposed in her congressional district in Lubao, Pampanga. Pichay once served also as political affairs adviser during the Arroyo administration.

Citing “historical” precedents, Paras frankly admitted President Duterte faces the same fate that befell upon Mrs. Arroyo and two other immediate past presidents of the Philippines. But he did not include the class suits and ill-gotten wealth cases against the namesake father of BBM, the late president Marcos Sr. President Duterte, Paras warned, could expect a lot of “trumped-up” charges before the Philippine courts as soon as the Chief Executive steps down from office on June 30 this year and would no longer be covered by immunity from suits after his term.

Paras fears legal suits being planned by the most bitter political foes of President Duterte would probably be on top of the pending case of alleged strings of extrajudicial killings of illegal drugs suspects filed before the International Criminal Courts (ICC). However, President Duterte has repeatedly declared he is not afraid to be jailed. He has even vowed full protection to law enforcers implementing in accordance with the laws his all out war against the illegal drugs trade in the Philippines.

But why is Paras and his like-minded politicians are so worried about such possible post-Malacanang suits against President Duterte who himself could not even care more?

“I only wish President Duterte to sleep well once he is out office already,” Paras explained. The President is turning 77 years old next week.

“Acting” presidential spokesman Martin Andanar admitted yesterday President Duterte indeed had a one-on-one meeting with BBM already at Malacanang last weekend. This was after no less than Mayor Sara and Senator Bong Go who is concurrently Special Assistant to the President confirmed one after the other the meeting took place. This was a day before the Cusi bloc came out with the signed PDP-Laban resolution endorsing BBM candidacy.

Andanar still did not give other details on what were taken up at the meeting. Just the previous day, Andanar justified the stance of Malacanang to reiterate only the desire of the outgoing Chief Executive to “stay neutral” on the ongoing presidential race. “To us in the Palace, what is important to us is that our President remains very relevant. Our President is not following the footsteps, or the path of the tradition that the President becomes [a] lame duck or when the President’s endorsement becomes a kiss of death,” Andanar pointed out.

As “alter egos” of the President, Paras credited Cabinet officials like Andanar for not detracting from the President’s official statement. As a political adviser to the President, Paras clarified, he can speak up on what he knows based from the realities on the ground. Such tasks to Paras, he insisted, are part of his job talking and reaching out with elected officials and leaders of every political parties all over the country down to the local government units (LGUs).

Incidentally, the official Comelec campaign period starts today for all local candidates aspiring for the 18,023 local posts up for grabs on May 9.

Pichay, however, countered Andanar: “It’s not a kiss of death but a kiss of victory for a candidate endorsed by a very popular leader like President Duterte.” That would be a lot of kisses that President Duterte would give away.