by Edcer Escudero
Barring unexpected twists and turns, or unavoidable reversal of earlier decisions, the 2010 presidential race will most likely be a scramble for survival among four high profile front-runners.
The foursome is an interesting smorgasboard of brilliant, moneyed, traditional, radical, idealistic, sentimental personalities of diverse social, economic and educational backgrounds.
All have made emphatic declarations of their capability to lead our people and make our nation a power to reckon with in Asia. They want us to believe that they have the answers to the nation’s decades-old problems which 14 previous presidents had failed to solve.
Each believes that he has the people’s support, and that he will be the winning survivor in the biggest reality show in the country.
And if we believe in what they believe, we will see four people raising their right hand and swearing to defend the Constitution on June 30, 2010.
And now, here they are, the final four;
Rich Boy Manny (Villar) – opinion poll survey not withstanding, he is the man to beat. A poor boy coming out of the slums of Tondo, Manila, he is now the richest senator in the land. He made his millions (or is it billions?) building homes for Filipinos thru hardwork, patience, dogged determination and exceptional, business sense. A former Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, he believes it’s time to take over Malacañang Palace.
He is a traditional politician in the sense that he believes in the party system and party machinery as essential and effective weapons in waging and winning political wars. Strongest point: Money.
Bright Boy Gibo (Gilbert Teodoro) – A bar topnotcher, a holder of a master’s degree in law from Harvard University, he is the brainiest among the presidential wannabes without exception.
A three-term congressman and former defense secretary of GMA, he cuts a double image of a technocrat and a knowledgeable politician. He is brainy, but is not an intellectual boor. He has a serious mien, but exudes a winning “class” charm. He is not the muddy type of politician who throws mud at his opponents. He is an engaging and decent personality. His political battle cry; Platform, Platform, Platform. Strongest point: Brains.
Mama’s Boy Noynoy (Aquino) – He launched his candidacy not at his own instance, but on the strength of the emotional outpouring of sympathy for his departed mother. He believes that the “yellow fever” will warm the hearts of the voters and will reach its highest point when he enters or captures Malacanang.
As a junior senator, Noynoy hardly articulates his two cents’ worth in Senate deliberations, believing in the “less talk, less mistake” dictum. He doesn’t have the dynamism and fiery eloquence of his late father, Ninoy. Politically, he’s a babe in the woods. I don’t think a mama’s boy will make a credible president. Strongest point: None.
Pretty Boy Chiz (Escudero) – A young man in a hurry. Too young, too soon. Too inexperienced in the art of governance, too politically naïve. Obviously, he doesn’t believe in the dictum “haste makes waste.” He thinks traditional politics is anathema in a democracy, and is leaning on political radicalism, dismissing the party system an an obstructive political tool.
He has embarked on a political journey as a Lone Ranger sans Tonto, his sidekick. He is a political Don Quixote waging personal war against the windmills (corruption, cheating, weak political will etc.).
He is the ultimate maverick. His track record as former congressman and now senator can be summed up in three words; Oppose, Oppose, Opposenut. He is an incurable fault-finder. He looks at a doughnut, but sees only the hole. Finally, he is a dreamer, not a doer. Strongest point: Dreams.
