Kris and the other Aquino

No, this isn't a belated reaction to Kris Aquino's recent public meltdown; the issues raised then were very personal, while this is political. Although some would speculate that her live pronouncement on the evening news, when one is careful to read between the lines, reeks of politics, or political plans that is (note that she also hinted then that she might study law). News on her purported plan to run for vice president in 2016 has since come out.

But first, let's talk about the other Aquino, the one running for senator in the coming elections: Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV.  For some youth leaders I've talked to, Bam's campaign ad using his “Tito Ninoy, Tita Cory, Kuya Noy” is baduy, in bad taste, a move that somewhat deviates from his image as a trailblazer and achiever. One can't help but gasp at this apparent and uncanny genetic trait the Aquinos share-from the incumbent president, to his eldest sister peddling detergent, and now their cousin vying for a seat in the senate-in making no qualms milking their so-called iconic relatives dry. Perhaps Kris is the only one popular enough to win (or sell something) fully on her own merits (and demerits).

The pragmatist in me asks, “why not?”-if you have the resources or an advantage like that, use it. The idealist in me is firm, “no, one should win purely on his own merits” (and Bam, a multi awarded youth leader has his fair share to be sure) if he were to be his own man in a line of work where vested interests and personal interests often meet half way, the merger dangerously taking over one's initial altruism and plans of changing the world. So the question is, does strategy diminish sincerity?  I certainly hope not, especially since, by the looks of it, Bam will make it-his public invocation of his dead uncle and aunt a formulaic scheme that captures the hearts of the masses more often than not.

But one famous relative conspicuously absent in his campaign is his (half) first cousin, Kris Aquino. Back in October, Bam was quoted in the news as saying that he “hopes she would help.” But she has not.

I was told by a number of personalities close to the Aquinos and those belonging to Kris's inner sanctum that she isn't very close to her Aquino side of the family and that she associates herself more with her wealthier Cojuangco kin. If true, this surely doesn't help Bam's lot.

Allow me to digress a bit before proceeding with the Bam-Kris dynamic: A reliable Cebuano source well-placed in the Palace also detailed how Bam secured his spot in the Team PNoy senatorial ticket. She disclosed that the President was initially hesitant of Bam's decision to run for senator and allegedly protested  the whole idea, arguing that he waited till his mother's term ended before he ran for congress, and that he became a congressman first before gunning for a seat in the senate, or something to that effect (in fairness to the president). Then again, Noy's pre-president credentials, by any standard known to man, pales in comparison to Bam's summa cum laude graduate and award-winning track-record.

Perhaps Bam calculated that his cousin the president would eventually give in, despite his early misgivings, after all, it wouldn't bode well for the Aquino family, PR-wise, if an Aquino cousin was running independently, or worse, with UNA or Lakas-Kampi. The scenario would raise too many questions and stoke too many issues. Noy simply didn't have much of a choice. And the possibility of Bam running under UNA or Lakas-Kampi isn't far-fetched either. Remember, his entire stint in government was thanks to former president Gloria Arroyo's appointments; also, his father Paul Aquino, Ninoy's half-brother, was among GMA's chief strategists during the 2004 elections (curiously, this is the same presidential polls Bam's fellow Team PNoy candidate Grace Poe considers to be fraudulent, believing that GMA snatched the presidency from her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr.).

But Bam decided to strike while the iron is hot. Some call it opportunism; some call it a sensible move. Either way, the well-placed Palace source says that the president eventually decided to include him after intense lobbying from Senator Kiko Pangilinan. Pangilinan is in his last term as senator and, if this report is to be believed, he intends for Bam to take in his staff who are to be displaced when he steps down as senator in a few months.

Back to Bam and Kris: I feel Kris isn't happy with Bam's decision to run for senator. Why? His candidacy, if successful, pre-empts Kris's options for 2016. Anyone, Kris all the more, wouldn't want their options limited. If Bam wins and she runs for senator (or vice president) in three years, she will have to answer 'dynasty issues,' that when she wins, there would be two Aquinos in the senate (or in government). If Bam didn't run, the situation would've been more ideal for Kris-as her brother steps down as president, she runs for senator; at least not two Aquinos occupying high government positions at the same time.

Some quotes from an article on Bam on the front page of the Inquirer last month: “His other famous cousin, host and actress Kris Aquino, has offered to help but so far has not contributed funds to his campaign (Unlike what she did for Aquino's fellow Team PNoy candidate Risa Hontiveros) nor given him tips.” “Kung magbibigay, tatanggapin (If she gives, we'll take it), but let's not force her,” Bam said.

Again, that's putting Kris on the spot. It's bad enough that you preempted her plans (whether certain or not), do you have to force the issue of support, however subtle and 'soft sell' your statements are? You have to be dense not to read the writing on the wall. If I were Bam, I'd let it go. He can win on his own strengths anyways. Kris is smart, calculating. If she wanted to support Bam, she would've done so from day one of the campaign.