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By Alito L. Malinao
There is no doubt that the
results of the May 14 elections would be determined mainly by two
factors: political machinery and popularity of the candidates,
particularly in the senatorial race.
A candidate with both would have
a definite advantage over his or her rival. A good example is Loren
Legarda, who is running for senator under the Genuine Opposition, a
coalition of disparate political groups whose main financier is
reportedly former President Joseph Es-trada. Legarda was already a
well-known television personality before she joined politics. Even
while she was in hiatus after the 2004 elections, she continued to
be in the limelight because of her election protest against
Vice-President Noli de Castro. It is, therefore, not surprising that
she tops the surveys among the senatorial candidates.
Another GO candidate who
continues to be within the winning 12 in surveys is House Minority
Leader Francis “Chiz” Escudero. His popularity stems not only
from his performance as a fiscalizer in the House of Representatives
but also from his radio programs that are broadcast to the
provinces. Officially, Escudero is running as a candidate of the
Nationalist People’s Coalition, a dominant political party headed
by industrialist Eduardo “Dan-ding” Cojuangco.
The candidates of Team Unity are
banking, of course, on the combined resources of three of the
largest political parties in the country—the Lakas-CMD, Kampi and
the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) of Sen. Edgardo Angara.
The NPC is represented in the unity team by Tito Sotto 3rd and
Tessie Aquino-Oreta.
Whether the juggernaut of the
administration-backed TU could ensure the victory of its candidates,
especially those perceived by the public as political butterflies,
in the midterm elections it is still anybody’s guess.
Political machinery
A political machinery can only be
effective if it is well-funded, run efficiently by qualified
individuals and present throughout the archipelago, so that it has
loyal and effective people in the national, provincial, city,
municipal, barangay, the election precinct level. The campaign
strategy from the national headquarters in Manila should be
implemented down to the barrios. This would include the distribution
of funds and propaganda materials, both in print and broadcast.
The well-oiled and well-organized
political machinery of the Garcia family in Cebu gave President
Arroyo more than a million margin over her opponent in the 2004
elections. In fact, there were many precincts in Cebu where the
opposition did not have watchers or any kind of representative. In
some places the opposition even failed to put up its own local
candidates.
This was also true in Pam-panga,
President Arroyo’s home province, where almost all the local
candidates supported her bid for the presidency in 2004.
Popularity and mass appeal
The best example of how
popularity can catapult somebody to national prominence is former
President Estrada. Estrada, a popular movie actor and a college
dropout, started as mayor of San Juan, then ran and won as senator,
ran and won as vice-president, and finally as president in the 1998
elections. In all his political battles, Estrada and his handlers
were able to successfully portray him as a champion of the masses.
“Erap Para sa Mahirap” was a slogan that endeared Estrada to the
ordinary folk, the descamisados or the shirtless. Of course, later
events proved that this was more hype than fact, particularly after
his extravagant life was exposed during the impeachment trial and
later in the trials of the plunder case filed against him.
One can also be famous by being
infamous. Gregorio “Grin-go” Honasan led several coup attempts
against former President Cory Aquino. He was a fugitive from justice
for many years. But after his capture and after he was granted
amnesty, he ran for senator as an independent and won. Now he wants
to make a repeat performance. Can he still make it?
Qualification as gauge
No matter how efficient the
political machine or how popular the candidate is, the voter should
still examine his or her qualifications and track record. This
should be the ultimate yardstick. Do not just vote for the candidate
because he or she is a popular newsreader or movie personality.
Check his background and find out if he is qualified for the
position he or she is aspiring for. To do otherwise would be to
contribute to the further instability of our country and to
perpetuate the culture of patronage politics in our society.
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