Why are there too many vice presidentiables?
Come to think of it. While there are only three sure candidates for President, (that is, if Mayor Duterte's ''No'' is really a ''No'') why are there six, no less than six vice presidential bets? For president, there are only Secretary Mar A. Roxas, Vice President Jojo C. Binay, and Senator Grace Poe who have declared their bids. But, so far, there are now six aspirants for vice presidents, namely, Senators Chiz Escudero, Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Representative Leni Gerona-Robredo. I know the answer and I shall tell you why. This is a very clever game of political poker. Or political chess, if you will.
All the vice presidential bets, except Representative Leni, are deeply convinced that Vice President Binay and Senator Grace Poe may be disqualified. They are prepared to take over. The disqualification case against Grace Poe, currently pending before the Supreme Court, is a very serious one. No less than the senior associate justice of the highest court of the land, Antonio Carpio, has expressed his legal opinion that indeed the lady senator is not a natural-born citizen of the Republic. As such, she would not be qualified to run for President. That opinion was so convincing that the Poe camp has filed a motion for the inhibition of Justice Carpio.
There is thus a very strong possibility that Poe's presidential ambition may be frustrated by a binding adverse decision. Senator Chiz, being an astute political poker player that he really is, has positioned himself as a ready spare tire just in case the lady senator is finally disqualified by a final and executory judgment. Senator Trillanes, who is an expert in psywar operations, has likewise thrown his hat into the political arena, declaring his support for Senator Grace. Like Escudero, Trillanes is also positioning to replace a possibly disqualified Poe. That is how these political power players are positioning their cards.
Senators Gringo Honasan, being likewise an expert in the art of war has positioned himself to replace Vice President Jejomar C. Binay in case the latter becomes too ''pulverized'' by the trial by publicity and what he supposed to be a blatant character assassination that he is being barraged with, mostly from the senate blue ribbon committee. The same is true with the candidacy of Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong '' Marcos. He is poised to upgrade his candidacy to no less than the highest executive position of the land. He is indeed the son of FM, a real chip of the old block. And he is Imelda's son as well. He is not only a Marcos. He is as much a Romualdez, too.
And so, with four Bicolanos (Escudero, Honasan, Trillanes and Leni Robredo) running for vice president, thus fragmenting the Bicolano votes, plus Senator Alan Peter whose wife is also a Bicolana, the front runner among the six might as well be Senator Bongbong. He has the vote of the Solid North, plus all the silent remnants among the loyalists and the KBL's all over the nation. With the Ilocano votes plus the Waray votes courtesy of Madam Imeldific, then Bongbong is the most likely to win. It will be a close fight between Leni, the David and Marcos, the Goliath. We can never tell if the good one shall triumph this time. But we hope and pray that the best one wins.
In the poker game of politics, especially in Philippine politics, everything is possible, depending on how the players position their cards, and how they make the right moves at the right time. What matters most is that the choice theoretically belongs to the people. The people must make the right moves, too.
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