BBM's Senate Bets and Duterte's Choices: Same bananas

The situation is still fluid and there may be some changes here and there, but we have it right from the horses' mouth that the administration rainbow coalition has come up with a list of the president's choices. And so also with Duterte's alliances. The senatorial contest next year will be a precursor of the historic presidential confrontasi in 2028. The LP, which is the true opposition, will have its own ticket too.

According to the presidential sister, Senator Imee Marcos, the BBM-anointed 12 are composed of three from the president's own Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, two from Speaker Martin Romualdez and GMA's Lakas-CMD, four from the NPC or Nationalist Peoples' Coalition of Tito Sotto, and three from the Villars' NP or Nacionalista Party. There is no representation from NUP, one of the parties in coalition with Federal. Listed under the Federal Party are former senator Manny Pacquiao, incumbent Senator Francis Tolentino and DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos. I do not know if Pacquiao has abandoned his own party and jumped to the Federal.

Representing the Lakas-CMD are incumbent Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and party-list representative Erwin Tulfo. The biggest representation comes from the NPC with incumbent Senator Lito Lapid, former Senate president Tito Sotto, former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, and Makati Mayor Abigail Binay, seeking to replace her sister Nancy who is term-limited, and will instead run for mayor. The last party, the Nacionalista Party, is fielding incumbent Senators Imee Marcos and Pia Cayetano, and Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar seeking to replace her mother Cynthia who is also term-limited.

The Duterte camp has been reported to be endorsing some BBM candidates, like Imee Marcos, Manny Pacquiao, Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla, and Erwin Tulfo. The only pure Duterte bets are incumbent Bato de la Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go. They also included the names of Isko Moreno who is reportedly running for mayor of Manila again to fight his own erstwhile ally Honey Lacuna. This group has also named Dr. Willy Ong as one of its bets but I seriously doubt if this good doctor would have common values with the Duterte camp. I am not sure if three Dutertes are running: Digong, Polong, and Baste. Such a move, if they ask me, is too risky and too nasty.

The true opposition, the LP is most likely to field former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino along with human rights lawyer and former Law dean, Chel Diokno. Former senator Leila de Lima is not running. I have talked to her personally. She is still sorting out her life and livelihood which was destroyed by her illegal, unjust, and oppressive incarceration based on a trumped-up charge of being linked to a drug syndicate. Former vice president Leni Robredo is running either for city mayor of Naga or to reclaim her old seat as representative of that district in Camsur.

What irritates me in the declared Senate bets are two very nasty if not obnoxious things. First is the family dynasty being perpetuated by the Villars, the Cayetanos, and even the Binays and the Marcoses, in addition to the Estradas, the Tulfos, and the Dutertes. Second, why present themselves again if they are non-performers: guys like Lapid, Revilla, Pacquiao, and even Bong Go. Distributing ayuda is not a senatorial function. What important laws have they passed?

My God, their only reason is that they are popular and are surely winnable. What is happening to the Philippines? I wanna fly to Jupiter or Mars. This is not the country of Rizal, Bonifacio, Mabini, Quezon, Osmeña, and Magsaysay. We are fast becoming a virtual banana republic.