There are signs certain senatorial candidates of the People Power Coalition, who are at present outside the winning circle, are surging nearer to No. 13. They include Wigberto "Bobby" Tañada, Ernesto "Boy" Herrera, and Solita "Winnie" Monsod. One recent survey even showed that Herrera was already within the Magic 13, because of the labor vote and the heavy Cebuano vote. On the other hand, the solid vote that Tañada is expected to muster from the Southern Tagalog region could push him eventually into the winner’s circle. As to Winnie, her growing media visibility and hectic campaign pace are pushing her closer to No. 13.
The biggest plus, though, for the PPC candidates is the tireless, almost breathtaking, pace by which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is campaigning nationwide for her anointed Senate bets. While in the end, it might not be a 13-0 for the PPC candidates, the finally election figure could turn into 9-4 or 10-3 in favor of the PPC. That would be good enough for the ruling party to gain the upperhand in the Senate.
On the opposition side, the top three candidates are — based on the latest surveys — Noli de Castro, Edgardo Angara, and Orlando Mercado. Vying for a shot at No. 13 are candidates Gringo Honasan, Miriam Defensor- Santiago, Juan Ponce Enrile, and Dong Puno. But then, if the campaign of the PPC surges, these four might just be overtaken by Boy Herrera and Bobby Tañada, with Winnie Monsod and Obet Pagdanganan breathing down their necks.
The big question mark is former First Lady Loi Estrada, who is one of the candidates of the Puwersa ng Masa. A lot of money is being spent for her campaign. As everyone knows, money talks, especially at the local level. What political analysts are trying to decipher is whether the money angle is going to work wonders for Loi. So far, the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia surveys do not show Loi at a striking distance of No. 13.
Former President Estrada is also exerting a mighty effort to make Loi win. If Erap has been taking a lead role in the opposition campaign rallies in various parts of the country, it is mainly due to his intense desire to make Loi win. Why? Because for the ousted president, a win by Loi is a win by Erap.
Thoughtful, generous people are beginning to respond to the appeal of Bishop Jesus Y. Varela of Archdiocese of Sorsogon to help save the life of his seminarian, Abraham "Bambet" Mirandilla, who badly needs a kidney transplant. Bambet is just a year or two away from becoming a priest of God, and it would be sad and tragic if he does not make it, merely because he and his family did not have the financial means to enable him to get that urgent transplant at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
Bishop Varela has already called upon his parish priests to raise whatever money they can, to save the life of Bambet. But so far, the amount raised is not enough to meet the pretransplant and post-transplant expenses which, Bishop Varela estimates, could reach P700,000.
Upon reading my column item about Bishop Varela’s urgent SOS for Bambet, a kindlooking lady, who refused to give her name, dropped by my office to hand over her contribution of P500. Then, Petty Ymbang of Little Baguio, San Juan, Metro Manila, handed over P1,000. Someone with the initials R.A. of New Jersey, USA, who is also a regular donor to the Good Samaritan Foundation, remitted P5,000. And finally, Mr. Jacob of Ragay, Camarines Sur, donated P700. Thanks a million, and God bless!
The amount of P7,200 is what we raised for seminarian Bambet on the first day of our fund-raising effort to help save his life. I have received telephone calls saying that more donors are sending their donations. Thanks a lot. And for those who want to help, please call up the staff of the Good Samaritan Foundation, at telephone numbers 716-1399 and 716-1499, or at Unit 1-B RM Arcade, 80 Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., Quezon City, right beside UERM Memorial Medical Center.
Marietta Guanzon-Holmgren, who runs the Lourdes Grotto in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, sent an appeal from Stockholm, Sweden, asking me to request the Philippine National Police in San Jose del Monte to keep the highway open during Holy Week. "It is so unchristian to force the devotees, many of them senior citizens and the disabled, to walk for several kilometers, just to reach the Grotto," said Ms. Holmgren.
Actually, the closure of the highway during the Holy Week has become an occasion for mulcting by barangay officials and PNP policemen. For grease money, these mulcting officials allow favored motorists to pass through the closed highway. This is petty graft that does not jibe with the moral reform agenda of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I hope that the PNP leadership can do something to keep that highway open and stop the penny-ante graft by the barangay officials and local police of San Jose del Monte.
What can be done by the PNP is to make the national highway leading to the Lourdes Grotto a one-way road with exit at Sta. Maria, Bulacan. What is so difficult adopting this traffic system? Unless the local officials in San Jose del Monte are so greedy for petty money.
I thought my write-ups about that inspiring poem,
What God Hath Promised, had said everything. But I was wrong. Now comes reader Robin Y. Tong who wants to set the record straight. And he claims that the poem has been his source of inspiration for the past 30 years.
Robin Tong said that he first came across the poem when he was in Grade 3, in the
Faith and Freedom series of books. And the poem’s author, he added, was Annie Johnson Flint. It has only two stanzas, the first and the third. The second stanza as written in my column, Tong added, was probably a "bastardized" insertion, as can be seen from its difference in style, rhythm and pacing with the first and third stanzas.
A human interest item about the poem is that the parish priest of Tong liked it so much he tried to have it set to music. And, according to Robin, Lito Molina did the honors. It would be nice to hear the musical version of
What God Hath Promised. PULSEBEAT: A come-on to Cebu visitors to check at Montebello Villa Hotel are its beautifully landscaped garden, its Bridge of Love where wedding receptions are held, and two lagoons teeming with
tilapia where families may go fishing. Drop by that hotel in your next visit to Cebu City . . . . Mike C. Bolos, writing from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, suggests that if ever the Pagcor is privatized, the Overseas Filipino Workers should be given the first chance to acquire equity. "The amount of P50 billion would be ‘small change’ to the 7.5 million OFWs all over the world," he said . . . Jose Jason L. Chancoco sent a very thought-provoking piece on
trapos, civil society, new politics, and democracy . . . . Lea Lara, Rosalia Martir, and A. Firmeza relayed to me their thoughts about the inadequacy of the party-list system and about the coming May 14 elections . . . . Paging Jojo Dancel, who often communicates to me from China. Your friend Samson Bautista, who worked with you at Adidas Rubberworld, wishes to contact you. His e-mail address is
<samsonbautista@hotmail.com> and his cellphone number is 0917-971-3064.
My e-mail address:
<jwalker@tri-isys.com>