POLITICS, Filipino Style

Once upon a time, couple of decades ago, with me and politicians  in a merienda setting with a prominent political family, the conversation drifted to the question — when is the best time to start campaigning for the next elections?  To put matters in context, it was just the first few days since one of them won the governorship in a central Luzon province.  The political guru said in a very serious tone – it starts after just winning.  Just be silent about it, but do everything to get the votes again after three years.

I always thought I was wise enough about politics, that campaigning for the next elections should start according to the laws and resolutions contained in the Omnibus Election Code, specifying a number of days, only monthsactually when legal campaigning is allowed to begin near the end of the incumbent’s term. But laws and rules take a back seat to realpolitik, as I rudely found out. Iba ang marunong sa batas, pero mas magaling ang wais. All my idealism and legal predilection flew out of the window that day.  I lost my political innocence.

Fast forward to the present.  We are into a possible clash of feline protagonists towards the top in these blessed 7000 islands, regardless of whether it is high or low tide. Methinks it will be a tale of two VPs, one from Bicol, one from Mindanao.  Their camps are known to be block voters, with one a reigning princess and another a shy damsel, but not in distress actually.  One has declared her ambition to reach the top, the other uninclined to show her ambition, if any, this early.  Who will the fountain bless? Plato said – the most qualified is the most uninterested. Love, bye.