It’s not easy being green

It is definitely not easy being green because it means there are many things you are not good at in politics. In the case of Senator Grace Poe and the Liberal Party poopers, there are many things that Grace Poe will never be good at, qualified for, and definitely incompatible and unfit to be in.

She does not lie, does not cheat on partners or betray allies, she does not bear false witness or conduct black ops called Oplan Nog-Nog or fund legal and social media operations to raise doubts and challenges to the qualification or citizenship of foundlings, she has not manufactured her political popularity through manipulated surveys, and she does not engage in double speak but instead says what’s on her mind.

So yes, just like Kermit the frog it will never be easy being green for Grace Poe. If Kermit’s heart beats for Miss Piggy, I don’t think Grace Poe could find anything attractive with a bunch of Male Chauvinist pigs.

 What else would you call a bunch of “suitors” who woo you, praise you and then ask you to play second fiddle to someone who only comes in at No. 4 and not even a close second! What’s really ugly about these chauvinist pigs is the fact that after failing to get Poe’s sweet “Yes,” and after receiving the multiple rejection slips that Grace Poe dished out, they turn on her calling her green, not ready, not competent and not aligned with the code called “Tuwid na daan.” To save face they try to tarnish Grace Poe’s credentials and qualifications.  In local culture: “Busted sila kay Grace.” 

So now the rejected Romeos are resorting to what comes naturally to the “busted”: undervalue the lady or make the whole thing look like a mistake just to save their ugly mugs. Lest people forget, it might be good to point out that it was the titular head of the Liberal Party, the President of the Philippines and his party mates who have been wooing Senator Grace Poe to belittle her self by agreeing to be their Vice Presidential candidate in 2016 and NOT Grace Poe applying for the position of VP.

The political male chauvinist pigs in the party refuse to admit that they were in a situation where “the best man for the job happens to be a woman.” The talking heads of the Liberal party have been pounding on experience, competence etc., which is all well and good but this matters only if and after their candidate for President actually gets elected. Unfortunately there is no denying that the reason they have been trying to get Grace Poe on their side is because right now she is the only ticket that gets their candidate to where they want to go. Yes they have options but riding with Grace Poe is riding First Class – Non-stop. It would be “just desserts” if the Liberals got a second choice who does even better than their Boy Wonder.

At the end of the day, her critics are right. Grace Poe is green or inexperienced and does not have the necessary competence or track record required for how the Trapos or traditional politicians do things. Grace Poe has not been in public office long enough to abuse her position and government resources to require mayors and barangays from far-flung areas to leave their posts, travels hours just to attend a political rally where the principal host is the president, prematurely campaigning for a sitting cabinet secretary whose history shows that he had lackluster performance as DTI Secretary, DOTC Secretary, and DILG Secretary. Sorry “kid” you had your chance, we supported you and you blew it at every turn. If this is what the Liberals meant by “experience and competence” then they should go back to their English and Political Science professors and get themselves re-educated on those concepts.

From the looks of it, Grace will not be popular among traditional politicians because she does not know the art of being politically correct. After completing the Senate investigation on the Mamasapano massacre, Grace Poe unequivocally drew the line and stated that even President Noynoy Aquino must share the blame and the responsibility for the death of the 44 SAF troopers.

A cockroach who visited Malacañang on the night that Poe and Escudero were invited to a six-hour dinner with P-Noy, Mar, et al. claims that the so-called Top Secret – National Security info that P-Noy shared with Grace Poe was not about her childhood or birth, but all about the Mamasapano massacre, somehow intended to make P-Noy look good or to convince Poe to simmer down or back off. The next 45 minutes was reportedly spent talking about where to get the best sweet and sour pork in Metro Manila.

Another fundamental difference between Green Grace and the Dark Side of the force is that Grace Poe is transparent with her thoughts, says what’s on her mind and has the corporate leadership and management style one gets working abroad especially in the private sector. For her it’s work, nothing personal. For the Liberal Party poops, they are so entrenched in being professional politicians that they will starve to death if they were ever out of politics and had to find a real job. For Trapos, making politics “personal” is their second nature. They operate on consensus, accommodation and weak or questionable political compromise. Grace the Green has not been in office too long to have been infected and has clearly tried to be civil and “Walang Plastikan.”

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides is that Grace Poe reflects what remains green among Filipinos. We are still learning, still hoping, still believing and still trying. Green represents life, nature and a fresh opportunity and for this reason Grace Poe should choose Green and stay green. 

* * *

Email: [email protected]