I commiserate with the local Liberal Party candidates for the shabby treatment they got from Sen. Franklin Drilon during the Team PNoy visit here on February 22. They were left out from the rally that can be considered among the most attended and best organized so far.
But in politics that is how the wheel turns and the best way for those in politics is to roll or get crushed. There is confusion in the circumstances that led to the isolation of the LP candidates for Bacolod City councilors. Rightly did councilor Archie Baribar say that what the LP national officials did was “a most unliberal way of marginalizing its loyal members and the most liberal way of empowering its highly unreliable and most unlikely allies” in Bacolod. What play of words but that nails down the puzzle. The local LPs got marginalized while the coalition with the NPC and the NP got the booster shot. They have much to be unhappy about, but that is politics – it is always the numbers game. If you have the numbers you can clobber anybody, without it you get sidetracked or ignored like a used rag. Perhaps from the national perspective of the party, the LPs in Bacolod do not have enough strength to produce the warm bodies, the numbers to make its team win or at least get a sizeable number of votes in Bacolod. Indeed, do the national LP officials consider the greater possibility that its local allies, meaning the Nationalist People's Coalition and the Nacionalista Party in Bacolod, will solidly support the LP senatorial line-up than their own local party-mates? Baribar describes it as unreliable. Actually nobody in a temporary political marriage is reliable. The more unlikely, the more it is unreliable. Or do they think that the local LP is weak that it will be unable to deliver the votes to the LP senatorial line-up? When one considers the higher plane and more panoramic of the situation in Bacolod, would it be wise and more fruitful for the national LP to deal or ally with the NPC-NP than rely on the local party? Simply put, does the local LP have the means to make the LP senatorial line-up get the votes? From the actuations of Drilon, it seems that his faith is in alliance with the NPC-NP of Bacolod than in the candidates of his own party who are, in fact, official candidates of the party. The LP here is now asking for clarification as there are legal implications, like representation with the Comelec and banner carriers. Or maybe who should handle the party funds and appoint party watchers? The most practical approach is that of Councilor El Cid Familiaran who seems to have accepted the fact of their isolation and has philosophically or rationally said that the endorsement of Grupo Progreso has no effect on his candidacy. That is a reaction of a candidate who is sure of his election. He needs no endorsement from national officials because in the end the people of Bacolod will decide and he thinks he has enough standing to get elected with or without the endorsement. I think the problem with some LP candidates for the city council is their alliance with Monico Puentevella whose image is a direct opposite of the philosophy of government of the President Aquino – remember the matuwid na daan? But, as some candidates justify the most important is getting elected whatever the alliance. On the other hand that alliance with Puentevella also worked against them, as we see now. Rightly did Baribar, Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy distance themselves from Puentevella so that they could not care less about getting Drilon's endorsement. To be more poetic about it, they carry the LP flag unhonored and unsung. By continuing to court the endorsement or bashing Drilon, some local LPs are only projecting the image of weakness. They should show that even left alone, they can fight this battle and hopefully win. In the end, the winner can twit their noses at the national LP leadership who will have to court them in 2016. Then they will not be ignored and even get their revenge. Winners, after all, are never orphans particularly in politics. On the other hand by insisting on their rights, for indeed these are rights as party members, they can be isolated further by their leaders whose primordial consideration is victory. There are matters that probably dictated the decision of their hierarchy that cannot be divulged without causing more harm than good. If they remain faithful followers, who knows what goodies they will get considering that the LP is the party in power? At this late hour, would it be wise for Drilon to reverse gears? MODESTO P. SA-ONOY The Visayan Daily Star
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|