Insisting that it was not he who had caused the disunity of the opposition, and threatening to bare the events that led to his standing for presidential elections in 2004, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson is, ironically, proving to one and all that he is indeed the opposition divider and all in the name of the game of vindictiveness, revenge and vengeful politics.
In 2004, a unification of all opposition parties for them to have a single standard bearer was agreed upon, with two opposition bets making known their plans to run for the presidency under a united opposition banner.
It was much too clear that Fernando Poe Jr. was the opposition’s best bet against the incumbent, Gloria Arroyo,
Lacson wanted Estrada to endorse him, but going by the surveys, there really was no chance for the opposition to win if Lacson was the bet.
Lacson then pulled out of the selection process after FPJ was chosen as the opposition’s bet, and insisted on running solo, even as the surveys then showed that he had no chance of winning the race, knowing that the opposition votes would be divided.
It was even said at that time that Lacson was ensuring Gloria’s victory in the race, with his insistence on running solo as an independent candidate, knowing that he wasn’t even close to getting second place in the race and knowing too, that the Iglesia vote for the opposition depended on the two opposition bets uniting, and that the INC vote would be going to Gloria.
What was then charged by the opposition forces came true. And in truth, if Raul Roco, stricken with cancer, did not opt out of the race, Lacson would have come out a poor fourth in the same race.
And even during the congressional national canvass, it was clear that his lawyers were not helping any in getting the opposition lawyers in their bid to get their objections on the election returns examined for fraud. There was not a single objection coming from Lacson’s lawyers, almost as if they were on the side of Gloria, helping her win fraudulently.
If memory serves, during the 2004 presidential campaign time, with all of his claimed intelligence network, Lacson hardly ever exposed the ongoing electoral cheating at the time the Comelec cheats were at work. It was the camp of FPJ that exposed all this at that time. He was also hardly accusing Gloria of any charges at that time, yet he claimed to be in the opposition even as he kept on firing away at the opposition. Isn’t that odd, coming from the so-called opposition?
So he now tries to drop a bombshell against Estrada, but clearly, all of it was a mere rehash of the allegations against Estrada leveled against him during the impeachment trial and all because he believes that Estrada is pinning the double murder raps on him and Estrada’s refusal to drop out of the race and rejecting the demand that he endorse Noynoy Aquino, Lacson and the Liberal Party’s candidate.
And because Estrada’s son, Jinggoy, delivers a privilege speech, Lacson again has threatened to link Jinggoy to jueteng, saying he too, was involved with jueteng as a San Juan mayor.
To my knowledge, the Sandiganbayan already acquitted Jinggoy of any part of the jueteng plunder. So why is Lacson bringing this recycled version again? And almost a decade later?
What Lacson really wants, by way of his never-ending threats, is not to have anyone respond to his lies and as long as they do, he will spew out more lies.
While civil society may lap up Lacson’s lies — as it always does when it wants its bete noir, Estrada demonized, as in embracing Chavit Singson’s lies even when it knew of the self-admitted crook Singson’s lies — the truth is, Lacson does not come off credibly in trying to demonize Estrada, coming a decade later.
Besides, the masses, loyal to Estrada, won’t buy it.
Lacson merely proved that he is indeed the divisive force in the political opposition, even as he denies this. And irony of ironies, as he denies it, he proves himself to be that divisive "opposition" figure.
