Gibo changes 2028 dynamics

The appointment by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of Gibo Teodoro as defense secretary is a middle finger up the anus of Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro who entertains the condescending view that election losers are has-beens and should not be dignified with another shot at public service.

I will not harp on the qualifications of Teodoro. The trust PBBM reposes in this 2022 Senate race loser effectively renders my two-cents worth all but practically useless. But I will not pass up the chance to blow my own horn as I was among the first to suggest PBBM kept the defense portfolio open for so long because he was holding it in reserve for Gibo.

If Gibo did very well previously in the same Cabinet position under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who became hugely unpopular later in her term, I see no reason why he should not do even better under a president elected with such an unprecedented huge mandate. I thus join the chorus of praises for his appointment.

But it is not really the very high expectations I have of better things to come in the defense posture and environment of our country that excites me no end. Like most Filipinos, I too do eat politics for breakfast, lunch and dinner although not exactly 365/p.a. To me, the appointment of Gibo potentially changes the complexion and dynamics of the 2028 elections.

While heretofore many people expected 2028 to be a fight between at least Vice President Sara Duterte and Speaker Martin Romualdez, the appointment of Gibo by no less than PBBM to a national position could make 2028 at least a three-way race. If this happens, it can complicate things for Romualdez more than it does anybody else.

Romualdez may be the first cousin of PBBM, but if you have been a keen observer of personal rather than political nuances, it can be said with a fair degree of confidence that virtually all of the political Marcoses are more of a Marcos than a Romualdez. And since blood is not a reliable guarantee of political loyalty, Martin will never find sleep so easy.

And if you watch the body language carefully, there is something special between PBBM and Sara that can make even Martin uneasy. This goes as well with Manang Imee and Tatay Digong. If politics does make strange bedfellows, Martin cannot rightfully say he has 2028 all sewn up simply on account consanguinity.

Moreover, it does not help boost the confidence of Martin that no Philippine president has ever been elected to that office straight from being Speaker. Gibo does not carry the same historical burden. Two presidents have gone to Malacañang from being defense secretaries --Ramon Magsaysay and Fidel Ramos.

Sara as well can breathe similarly easier. Sergio Osmeña Sr., Elpidio Quirino, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were all vice presidents who moved on to become presidents. History seems to smile kindest on vice presidents aspiring to become presidents.

But then, who can really say? Cory Aquino became president straight from being a housewife. And Rodrigo Duterte was just a city mayor before he became president. So if it is truly the will of God that a person becomes what God wants him to be, then no obstacle or circumstance can ever get in the way.