BBM's senatorial bets, all from Luzon

Is the Bagong Filipinas only a Republic of Luzon? The PBBM advisers have committed a very crucial political "faux pas" by ignoring the Visayas and Mindanao regions in the choice of the 12-member senatorial slate. All their anointed 12 are from Luzon, and worse, three are from Cavite, Bong Revilla, Ping Lacson, and Francis Tolentino. They are ignoring both Mindanao and the Visayas. Wow.

The Marcos slate has no one from Cebu. None from Iloilo, none from the entire Mindanao. The party of PBBM is ignoring the six administrative regions, (Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and the BARMM) comprising 27 provinces, 33 cities and 422 municipalities in the entire Mindanao. Manny Pacquiao is now from the Forbes Park, Makati, the exclusive enclave of the rich and the famous. He spends 99% of his time hobnobbing with the rich and the famous. He only comes home to continue to prop up his "masa" image by distributing money and goodies on birthdays and Christmas seasons. For all intents and purposes, he is no longer the voice of Mindanao.

The administration lineup has no one from the Visayas. They are ignoring four administrative regions (Regions 6, 7, 8, and the Negros Island Region) comprising five provinces in Western Visayas (Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras) with a combined population of 4.73 million, two huge provinces in Central Visayas (Cebu and Bohol), with 6.54 million, six provinces in Eastern Visayas (Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran) with a total of 4.5 million and three provinces in the newly-formed Negros Island Region composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, with a combined population of 4.76 million.

This administration is not inclusive. It is too pro-Luzon and anti-Visayas and anti-Mindanao. Presidential sister Imee Marcos, who has also been practically thrown out to the periphery by the Malacañang power-wielders, thanks to her favorite sister-in-law, has announced that she is standing alone. She will not join BBM's "dirty dozen". That was the most honorable thing for her to do. Senator Imee has been supporting the Dutertes and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. And these did not sit well with the first lady. Ping Lacson is an independent candidate. On his own track record, credentials and logistics, he can win alone and unaided by BBM's bandwagon.

The party needs Ping more than Ping needs the party, if at all. But even if both Ping and Imee remain in the slate, both of them are from Luzon. They do not represent Visayas, much less Mindanao. Lacson, Revilla, and Tolentino are all from one province. Albeit vote-rich, it is quite disproportionate considering that one province will have three senators while one half of the entire republic is not being represented. In fact, there are many cases of overrepresentation. The small city of Las Piñas will have a brother and a sister, the tiny city of Taaguig will also have a brother and a sister. The microscopic city of San Juan currently has two half-brothers.

All these provide strength to the arguments that the membership of the Senate should be regionalized, at least two senators from each of the 18 regions or a total of 36. That was the system before when Don Vicente Rama was elected senator. That way, Visayas will have eight, Mindanao will have 12, and Luzon will have 16. In the US a small state like Hawaii and a big state like California, Texas or New York each has two senators. They have 100 senators for the 50 states.

The BBM senatorial slate is a formula for disintegration. It is a slap to the face of both Visayas and Mindanao. It further fuels the argument that we are governed by an imperialistic Manila located in the Kingdom of Luzon, and that we Visayans are second-class citizens, needed only to pay taxes and carry the burden but excluded in the highest policy-making body.

For that alone, I call for the rejection of the entire ticket, except Ping Lacson. If the 16 Visayas provinces and the 27 provinces in Mindanao can unite to make our united voice heard, most of the 24 shall bite the dust in 2025. Let us show the Luzon people that the Filipinos from the south are also worthy of our National IDs, and they cannot stand alone without us.