Sobriety

As in the campaign, when Sen. Panfilo Lacson presented the most coherent, consistent platform among the presidential aspirants, he’s again the one making the most sensible statements in this surreal post-election period.

Instead of telling his supporters to block busy streets, threatening to stage people power and disrupting our already perpetually disrupted lives, he’s advising them to guard the vote closely, and document cases of cheating like armies of "scene of the crime" police investigators.

While President Arroyo’s head has come unglued and is floating in the clouds and Fernando Poe Jr. is herniating over the results of at least one exit poll, Lacson is his usual naughty, fatalistic self, sneering at his enemies in both the opposition and administration.

His avowed lack of interest in joining street protests, victory rallies or whatever you want to call those attempts to flex muscle by blocking traffic has spawned rumors that he has sold out to the forces of Jose Pidal. The rumors will surely be fanned by Lacson’s seeming openness to political reconciliation with an administration that spent a good part of the past three years treating him as Public Enemy No. 1.

On TV last night, Lacson laughed off the rumors, promising that if ever he is truly defeated and he has to go back to the Senate for another three years, he will continue making life hell for Jose Pidal.

Lacson has made no secret of his dislike for life as a lawmaker, admitting he is a square peg in a round hole and believing he is better in an executive role. His experience with his party the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, which junked him in favor of outsider Fernando Poe Jr. in picking its standard bearer, has surely made Lacson think even less of congressional wheeling and dealing. If ever he returns to the Senate, Lacson also vowed, his first order of business is to formally leave Laban.

His opponents in the party will likely respond that Lacson is no longer considered a member anyway. The ugly public bickering between the two factions of the opposition continues to be a riveting sideshow in the elections. Many of Lacson’s post-election statements are clearly directed at his rivals in the opposition.

Even as he continues squabbling with opposition stalwarts, however, his calls for sobriety – for sanity – will be remembered with gratitude by people who are sick of mindless agitation.

We’re waiting to hear others send out similar messages appealing for calm.

* * *

There is still no such statement from former President Corazon Aquino, who managed to get all five presidential aspirants to attend Mass together for peaceful and orderly elections on the eve of the polls. Perhaps the unrest has not yet reached a dangerous level.

But there was a tart admonition yesterday from her spokesperson Deedee Siytangco to Jejomar Binay. The re-elected Makati mayor, Deedee said, should stop comparing FPJ to Cory Aquino, who was cheated during the snap presidential election in 1986. The proclamation of Ferdinand Marcos as winner triggered a chain of events that culminated in the collapse of the Marcos regime in February of that year.

It may not be too hard for Cory Aquino to admonish Binay, one of her loyal allies. The talk is that Binay was peeved when he organized that protest-cum-victory rally in Makati last Tuesday night for the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, only to be told that KNP standard-bearer FPJ did not intend to show up. Binay found a graceful exit: the protest became a victory party for him. But I bet those who were not invited – Makati’s office workers who were stuck in traffic and couldn’t go home because of the rally – wanted to strangle him.

Who told FPJ to stay away from his own victory rally? Again, the talk is that it was Sen. Vicente Sotto III. As we have seen during the chaotic opposition campaign, there’s trouble even within the KNP.

* * *

Cory Aquino may be able to talk some sense into Jojo Binay. Who can talk sense into some retired military and police officers, who are reportedly making the rounds of camps particularly in Mindanao, stirring up trouble? Why can’t these officers just fade away?

I hope I simply misunderstood a report that among those who are warning of destabilization is former Army chief Jaime de los Santos. He was in our office just recently, as part of a group of alumni from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He seemed sensible enough, discussing Philippine troop deployment in Iraq and giving me a copy of his book on leadership.

He may want to put to use some of that leadership by reminding soldiers —–retired officers included – that they are supposed to be professional and apolitical.

Instead we’re hearing noises about yet another people power revolt if there is widespread cheating. More precisely, if FPJ loses, which can only mean that he’s been cheated big. At least that’s the world according to the camp of Fernando Poe Jr.

You almost wish that they would attempt people power. During "EDSA III" on May 1, 2001, the warm bodies were provided largely by the Iglesia ni Cristo and El Shaddai. We all know where these two groups placed their bets this time. I don’t think the Catholic Church will join a rally for Poe either.

FPJ, however, does have his own following, and he may not even have to rely on the INC and El Shaddai for a show of force. But does he really want this?

What any sensible, responsible candidate should want, whether he wins or not, is a clean vote, unsullied by shaving and padding or any other kind of vote manipulation. Preventing cheating as the count proceeds should be the focus of all political camps at this time.

This is the focus of Lacson’s camp. This is also the focus of the camps of the other presidential aspirants, Raul Roco and Eddie Villanueva. With vote counts just starting, all of them are proclaiming neither victory nor defeat. Instead they are busy documenting cases of poll fraud, so that when it’s time to accuse someone of high crimes, they have the evidence to back it up.

Once that work is done and there is enough proof of cheating, then everyone can take to the streets in protest.