Disarray in the ranks of the Opposition

Apparently, the critics of the Estrada administration cannot get their act together, a situation that has given President Estrada the chance to bounce back, with his own counter-offensive. If the critics' and oppositionists' display of disunity and diverse agenda is a sign of things to come, should President Estrada be pushed out of office, then bigger trouble looms for our economically-beleaguered and fractured country.

The disarray in opposition ranks should not, however, encourage President Estrada to relax, and go easy, in his efforts to recover his lost popularity ratings. So far, many of the Estrada administration's gimmicks to win back the support of the people have been shallow. Hugging babies, eating with his bare hands, rubbing elbows with the people, making himself more accessible to the various sectors, especially the masa, can temporarily win pogi points. But in the long run, these will not satisfy the cravings of a hungry stomach. Only good governance and the political will to make good things happen, can firm up the Estrada administration's anchor of public support.

As I had written, events continue to twirl and swirl at a dizzying pace. Today, President Estrada might have the upperhand in the battle to win the hearts and minds of the people. But tomorrow, the winds of fortune might suddenly blow in a different direction. The situation in the Philippine political landscape is so fragile and volatile that no one can predict, with accuracy, what the next happening will be.

I was in Cebu City during the last weekend, not only to break bread with three leaders of the "Old Boys' Club" at the Cebu Country Club but to talk about raging issues of the day. The three are Francisco Borromeo, Go Ching Hai, and Jose L. Quintos who, for the past 37 years, have been meeting regularly for breakfast, coffee and friendly chat at the clubhouse's windblown veranda. The trio's club is probably the oldest informal fraternal organization in the city of Cebu.

Before we broke up at the Cebu Country Club, the trio got copies of my book, Walking Through the Pathways of Life -- and Messrs. Quintos and Borromeo donated a generous amount to my Good Samaritan Foundation. Afterwards, Mr. Go Ching Hai, accompanied by his wife Martina, who is an active women's leader in Cebu City, and Honorary Consul General of Slovakia Antonio N. Chiu, invited poet Ann Kintanar and myself to a sumptuous lunch at the Chinese restaurant of Waterfront Hotel in Lahug.

Lawyer Jesus I. Santos, who has been a successful practitioner for the past 40 years, is one fellow who cannot seem to be able to get out of the political limelight, particularly in his home province of Bulacan where he has been a political figure for more than four decades. Lately, because of his close association with Interior and Local Governments Secretary Alfredo Lim, Jess has been frequently visited by political leaders of Bulacan, not only ask him to be their "bridge" to Fred Lim insofar as the construction of municipal bridges is concerned, but also to egg him on to re-enter Bulacan's political fray.

Jess Santos has been reluctant to yield to the political overtures, principally because of his flourishing law practice (he is the lawyer of matriarch Erlinda Ilusorio, millionaire Antonio Martel, Ricky Razon's ICTSI, the vast Pascual Estate, Philcomsat). But then, the political fever is usually infectious, and Jess might not be able to say no to his provincemates' pleas for him to throw his political hat into the ring.

Note that Jess Santos has long been an active leader of the Liberal Party in Bulacan. Moreover, he has been involved in Bulacan politics for decades, starting off as provincial secretary of Bulacan when the provincial governor was Jose Villarama. On top of all this, Jess has been actively espousing the protection of Bulacan's environment, specifically the Angat Dam where he led in the legal battle to get compensation for some 300 victims of the Angat Dam tragedy in 1978.

If I am citing Jess Santos' emerging role in Bulacan politics, it is mainly to highlight the need to convince other socio-civic oriented professionals to get involved in governance and crusades. Let them follow the example of this lawyer who has proven that hard work and intellectual mettle can definitely help reshape the face of Philippine society.

Here are additional things that many do not know:

* The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.

* There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

* There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple, and silver.

* The very first bomb dropped by the Allies in Berlin during the World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

* Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower,' because at the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

* Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors, and it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

PULSEBEAT: Cebu's political titans Raul del Mar and Vicente de la Serna are headed to a collision course. De la Serna, the former provincial governor, is eyeing Del Mar's congressional seat in Cebu City North District. . . For those interested in biotechnology, go to the following website: http://www.agbioworld.org. . . . Dr. Reynaldo Olazo, dean of the Fatima College of Medicine, has been quite active in telling one and all that the school's medical education program has attained world-class status. Apparently, the good doctor's initiative is aimed to counter the negative comments being peddled by a disgruntled resident physician.

Art A. Borjal's e-mail address: <[email protected]