Imee vs Sara vs Risa in 2028

It should have been Martin Romualdez for President in 2028 but his numbers in the polls never improved. He would instead be a good Prime Minister, after the ChaCha in 2029. It could have been Francis Tolentino as vice presidential candidate for Inday Sara but the Dutertes have been disappointed with Tol. She was tested and found wanting. It will be a choice between Imee of the Solid North and Sara of the fragmented south.

All the mainstream politics notwithstanding, who knows if a Risa Hontiveros candidacy may fly with her sterling performance in Senate investigations of Quiboloy. It will be a pintakasi among three women: Imee, the candidate of the Solid North, Sara, the bet from the not-too-solid south, and Riza, the Kamala-like third option, and a much better one at that. Imee will be the administration's best bet because Martin is very hard to "sell" to the masa. He is too elite in looks and in language. He has never connected with the "hoi polloi." But he is very good in making congressmen follow the baton of the Palace. His caliber is perfect for a prime minister, once they are able to shift to parliamentary come 2029.

Imee is a very good politician, much better than her younger brother. She has rapport with all levels of people. She is also brilliant. She knows better the history, the culture and the idiosyncrasies of the Filipinos. And she is very articulate. She can speak extemporaneously in multiple language, Ilocano, Waray, Bicol, Kapampangan and Ilonggo. Shae has strong grassroot connections since the 1970s during her Kabataang Barangay years. She is well-loved by the congressmen and the governors. She knows how to strategize and to maneuver her political moves. Her younger brother has a lot to learn from Manang Imee.

Inday Sara has lost a lot of steam after she cut clean from the Cabinet. She was deluding herself to an illusion that she was more popular than BBM. Well, that might have been true before the elections of 2022. But the moment BBM assumed the reins of the government, he was able to consolidate powers with both the Senate and the House having aligned with him. The greatest mistake of her father was to attack BBM relentlessly which ultimately made Inday's stay in the Cabinet untenable. The Dutertes could have stayed until the eleventh hour. By that she could have maintained her intelligence funds, her hundreds of security escorts and her access to funds and powers. Now she is a virtual pariah. One on one with Imee, Sara will be eaten alive.

The best among the three in terms of integrity, competence and trustworthiness is Risa. She is the one who will never yield either to China or to the importuning's of America. If Inday is pro-China and Imee is pro-America, Risa is the only one who is truly pro-Philippines. She will steer our international relations along the path of non-alignment and independence. She will not antagonize the US but neither will she kneel before the power-brokers in Washington. Risa will stand up to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin and will never compromise our national territory and dignity as a nation and as a people.

Risa is no longer left but center, not unlike Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Both Imee and Inday are too far right, albeit Sara may succumb to the impositions of Beijing in the West Philippine Sea. Inday may open up the country again to Pogo and allow all that were happening in Bamban and Porac to proliferate. Imee, may allow the putting up of multiple US bases in almost all the islands in the country, thereby making the Philippines a virtual 51st state of the USA. Risa will never allow that to happen.

The problem with Risa is that she does not have the money of Imee nor the organization of Sara. But if the people carry her, she will be the next Ramon Magsaysay in Philippine history. He will have the heart of Cory, the conscience of Magsaysay, the passion of Quezon, the humility of Osmeña, and the intellect of Diosdado Macapagal. She will be our best. Mark my words.