There’s no such thing as ‘in the bag’

In the Philippines, never believe that anything is “in the bag.” After all, things can turn on the edge of a knife and everything can change in an instant. With the way news travels and the speed of the Internet, sentiments, opinions and ideas change all the time. It’s hard to put stock in permanence and sometimes the best way to look at things is on a day-to-day basis.

Take for example the current predicament of Vice President Jejomar Binay. If asked a year ago one could have easily said that he was right on track to become the next president and that there wouldn’t be anyone who would be able to challenge him in his bid for Malacanang. However, in the short span of a few months and few explosive allegations all of that may no longer be true. Things have changed in the political field, especially in the Fourth Estate, and what once may have seemed sure is now questionable.

I have to agree with a fellow columnist that what were once the Vice President’s Presidential dreams may have turned into nightmares and he needs to face the reality of the situation. Popularity is one thing, but he only runs from the accusations for so long. I’m sure we’ve all heard or seen them in one way or another. And despite the Vice President’s son and current Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay’s continuous snub of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, it’s only a matter of time before things come to a head as the committee has already released the final call for Mayor Binay and six others from Makati City to appear before the committee or risk being arrested.

At the end of the day it is all about two things when it comes to the government and most things in life – power and money. Someone has it, someone wants it. When the Vice President was still a Mayor he promised his then Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado that he would succeed him when the former sought a higher office. However, when the time came, he reneged on his word and placed his son in the Makati mayor’s office instead. Mercado was double-crossed and it could very well be the reason that he chose to spill the beans when it came to the kickbacks and overpricing of several Makati City projects during the VP’s time in office there.

Money is the same reason that three senators are currently in jail – because Juan Ponce Enrile did not divide the so-called savings “fairly.” And you don’t even have to remember every detail of the fallen Arroyo administration to know what caused the fallout. It just goes to show that in the brutal political arena you should always keep your word and try not to cross people who might just easily sell you out. In other words, don’t give anyone a reason to take a shot at you and if you do, be sure you haven’t given them any ammunition.

I am actually curious to see how this all plays out in the days and months ahead. It’s quite sad that we have so many of our politicians in jail or being subpoenaed or arrested. What does that say about those that we trusted to lead us fairly and justly? It’s becoming quite the international joke how bad the corruption is in the Philippines and if we’re not careful it is sure to affect foreign investment.

I truly pray that the small steps we have begun to take since the pork barrel scam fully broke are just the first of many and that true justice will finally be dished out to the guilty parties. After all, I think it’s time our citizens could use a break and hopefully when the time comes, finally vote for politicians who will serve them better. Or rather, just serve them at all.

Which brings me to other whisperings and rumors I’ve been hearing in the news. There is talk of an Erap-Poe ticket in the upcoming 2016 presidential elections. I could not believe my ears when I heard that. Are our memories so short as to forget the time that Erap was almost impeached and then arrested and tried for plunder. Sure he may have received executive clemency, but that does not erase everything he did. It only serves to clean his record. And, as it turns out, allowed him to legally and safely run and win the Manila Mayor post.

Some might say that Erap was never actually impeached or that the presidential office was “stolen” from him mid-term, but I don’t think that’s an accurate description. It’s true that much as happened since then, but let’s try not to forget the corruption and cover-ups of the past. Erap jokingly refers to himself as the “Ronald Raegan of the Philippines as he was elected into the White House as a popular cowboy actor, much like Erap’s popularity and status in movies helped him win. The similarities end there however. While Raegan was not without faults, his presidency was not so marred as Estrada’s was by scandals and secrets. I, for one, would really not want to go through all of that again.

Is it too much to hope that for once the Philippines chooses to move forward? Sometimes when you look at our politicians it’s like political musical chairs. This one vacates this position and moves to another and this one gets kicked out of office and ends up in another office. We even had politicians running from jail.

Is this really the kind of political arena to be proud of? Are these men and women who are faced with theft allegations and corruption scandals the kind of leaders we want for our country? The time has come to break the vicious cycle and start something new. This could lead us to the better future we all want so badly. In order to get there though we have to veer away from the mistakes of the past and look forward. I keep my fingers crossed this will happen in 2016. The only problem is – who is the presidential candidate strong enough and honest enough to do that?