Tunay na Pinoy – at last!

By order of the Supreme Court.

That’s how FPJ, alias Ronald Allan Poe, was declared a "natural born Filipino" yesterday. Now the political campaign can finally and truly begin.

It was not a neat decision, but it was firm enough to clear the air of the cloud of suspicion, anger, resentment, and poisonous scent of rebellion (stirred up by rumormongers with their own villainous agendas) that hung over yesterday’s countdown to the High Tribunal’s ruling.

Voting 8-5-1, the Court dismissed last night the Fornier disqualification petition against Poe.

How the Court voted is interesting, but I’ll leave you, friends, to draw up your own conclusions.

The eight who ruled in favor of FPJ were Justice Jose C. Vitug (who penned the majority decision), with Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., and Justices Reynato Puno, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago; Angelina S. Gutierrez, Alicia Martinez, Romeo Callejo and Adolf Azcuna concurring.

Dissenting against the majority opinion were Justices Conchita Morales, Antonio Carpio, Renato Corona, Dante Tinga, and Leo Quisumbing. The first four were President GMA’s recent appointees, while the last had been named to the Tribunal by former President FVR. But let’s assert they voted according to their conscience.

Justice Artemio Panganiban, who is currently in Santiago, Chile (South America) on an official trip, did not take part in the voting.

For Justice Vitug, who is retiring on July 15 this year after eleven years of distinguished service in the Supreme Court, his being the ponente of this landmark ruling is a fitting valedictory.

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I can only say Mabuhay to the Supreme Court for having surmounted a sowed climate of passion, contumely, hatred and malediction to stand up for the law – and for decency. This ruling demonstrates the High Court’s independence and strength against all sorts of pressure – political or otherwise.

It will be noted that three GMA appointees – namely, Justices Alicia Martinez, Romeo Callejo and Adolf Azcuna – voted in favor of FPJ.

The Court’s decision effectively debunked the "trouble mongers" who had been expressing fears of the worst, all through the tension-wracked day (let’s face it, many of them from our ranks in the media, who excitedly "covered" the scene as if they were war correspondents). There were broad hints at acts of violence, even rebellion from "disgusted" or "disappointed" Poe supporters.

Philippine National Police Director General Hermogenes "Jun" Ebdane – although he probably meant well – didn’t help matters by announcing on radio that his police units were securing the homes and families of the Supreme Court Justices to safeguard kin and hearth from harm, so that the Justices could vote without being coerced by threats or fear for their loved ones. Of course, the police must protect the Justices’ families and domiciles (indeed, Sus, all of us in this country), but what a to-do and by golly about the obvious! Ebdane’s statements unfortunately contributed to the general unease.

As for those who deliberately spread the false "word" that FPJ being junked by the Supreme Court was already a "done deal", they, alas, got their wish. Contributions to FPJ must have slowed to a trickle, but now – let’s see. Whatever they say of his so-called "ignorance", Da King, it’s clear, remains the man to beat.

GMA, who’s just surpassed FPJ in the latest February 17-25 Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll results by 1.3 percent, can now slug it out toe-to-toe with the challenger. No beating around the legal bush, or expecting a pre-election TKO. It’s GMA 31.8 to FPJ’s 30.5, so, according to the SWS, they’re neck and neck. Raul Roco is 17.9; Panfilo Lacson his consistent 11.4; Brother Eddie Villanueva 1.8. The other Eddie? Who?

I met with the undaunted Senator Ping Lacson in the EDSA Shangri-La last Tuesday night, and asked him why he retained his admirable fighting spirit although he had been almost "permanently" pegged to Number 4 by successive surveys over the past two months.

Without blinking, that winner’s grin on his face, Lacson declared: "I don’t believe in surveys. It’s the people who will decide. I will win."

He pointed out that in 2001, with an arrest warrant put out on him by the GMA government, forcing him to go into hiding and preventing him from campaigning, all the surveys had predicted that he would go down in defeat. "Instead, I won!"

The other fugitive who won, and dumbfounded the surveys, was former RAMrod, Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan.

The Voice of the People. That’s what elections are supposed to be. Now that the High Tribunal has cleared the arena of legal cobwebs, let’s trust the contenders will clash on a level playing field.

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Last Tuesday night, ANC/ABS-CBN broadcaster Pinky Webb, my IMPACT 2004 co-host for the coming Ping Lacson interview (to be aired tomorrow night, Friday, at 8 p.m. on ANC Channel and replayed on ABS-CBN), had asked Lacson bout his coming "unity" talks with FPJ next month.

We added the caveat, "just in case he’s not disqualified."

Lacson replied he didn’t believe FPJ should be disqualified, and he had never hoped to benefit from it. He affirmed that the April meeting will go through as scheduled.

"Since you are determined to run for President, and FPJ is determined to run for President," Pinky had inquired, "what’s there to negotiate, when neither of you will slide down?"

Lacson smiled and intimated, "actually, there’s no agenda about what we’ll discuss" but he pointed out that unity is what they will both seek. In the light of the High Court’s ruling, there may be something to negotiate – perhaps? Abangan bukas, and in the weeks to come.

I must say that Lacson is brainy, quick on his feet, has a well-thought-out program of government (I’ve been doing my homework hopefully with due diligence on his spoken and written words) – and when he says kamay na bakal, or mailed fist, he truly means it.

I asked him the mischievous question: We had read a report of a previous interview in which Lacson had averred he would "arrest" Jose Pidal if he were elected President. Ping grinned even more broadly: "I didn’t say I’d arrest Jose Pidal." What he had said, he "explained", was that all corrupt persons should be arrested, and that Jose Pidal had become "a symbol of corruption". Gee whiz. All that fancy verbal footwork, Ping, and you’re not even a lawyer – you’re a shooter. I hasten to say, I mean straight shooter.

Lacson was a breeze to interview. He comes up punching. He uses wit with the finesse of an eskrimador, not the bluntness of a cavalry sabre.

He was ready, with aplomb, to face touchy questions, like insinuations he was a "gay", or had once been a hitman of Colonel Rolly Abadilla during the martial law dictatorship, or "thrown victims from a helicopter" (Latin American-style) during those deadly days, or massacred the Kuratong Baleleng, or had $700 million stashed away in 14 foreign bank accounts, helped push $7 billion in drugs, collected $37 billion in kidnapping capers – and all the shit dumped on him by General Victor Corpus, Ador Mawanay (who later flip-flopped) and Mary "Rosebud" Ong.

See for yourself tomorrow. This is patalastas, of course.

* * *

This writer also met, separately, with former Senator and Education Secretary Raul Roco Tuesday night.

Raul happily agreed – instead of going through a taped interview – to fly back from his campaign sortie (before Zamboanga) to be interviewed on IMPACT LIVE on March 26 – a Friday, of course.

Here’s another leader not only with a strong political record, but with unexpected talents (he even wrote the lyric for the San Beda College Alma Mater Song) and holds, besides his Masters of Comparative Law from the University of Pennsylvania, cross-enrolled at Wharton, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, magna cum laude, from San Beda College. His saving grace is that he went to the Ateneo de Naga.