United stand to remain divided

There were several fallacies or misinformed statements at Easter noon’s joint presscon by three of the ten presidential candidates – who affirmed they are not backing out of the race.

1. Philippine politics has not been always between the camps of the Marcos and Aquino families –pulahan vs. dilawan. That’s a fabrication of the trolls.

2. Offering voters more choices for president does not benefit the rest of Filipinos. As in past elections, the winner enjoys not a majority but plurality. Total supporters of all losing presidentiables far outnumber the supporters of the winner. The 14 million voters for Duterte is but a fraction of the rest of the 90 million other Filipinos.

3. VP Leni Robredo decided to run not solely to block a Marcos from returning to Malacanang. She has a solid public service record (vs. Bongbong) and offers a contrary platform of governance vs. BBM. She is not scoffed by those who chose BBM because they don’t like her.

4. The allegation that Leni’s camp furtively suggested for the other presidentiables to withdraw in exchange for reimbursement of their expenses lacks a critical detail. Who will finance the reimbursement? Definitely not Leni.

Sen. Ping Lacson, Mayor Isko Moreno, Norberto Gonzales (and Sen. Manny Pacquiao) were hailed for their gentlemen’s agreement to support whoever will win among them and not oppose the winner’s administration.

But Ping was remembered saying to Leni before the campaign that they should support whoever will emerge strong in the surveys to be able to defeat BBM. Ping backtracks by insisting he will not withdraw.

Former supporters of Isko (led by IM Pilipinas convenor Tim Orbos) correctly surmised that such declaration of non-withdrawal and failure to unite behind Leni will benefit BBM’s camp. They also felt insulted when Isko accused them of getting paid for turning their backs and choosing Leni.

For Ping, Isko, Gonzales and Manny, when they say all surveys are false or defective, they hold fast to the perception that they have convinced millions of supporters that they are the best next Malacanang tenant.

Maybe to some psychologists, that perception is detached from truth. Surveys are also said to be detached from reality.

One thing is certain, the lack of a united front against BBM will ensure his return to the Palace. Who knows? This could be part of BBM camp’s grand scheme: Divide & Conquer.

But BBM himself holds the perception that his money can be converted to votes on May 9. One devious plan floated recently was to buy off those who will go for Leni to prevent them from casting their votes.

The surveys have succeeded at conditioning the minds of many. If that still fails, many Comelec officials stand to again receive a windfall after the polls.