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Of baggage(s) and kings

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S

Jonathan De la Cruz

11/01/2009

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Today, we remember our dearly beloved and the saints in our lives. It brings to fore two days of prayers and reminiscences dedicated principally to those who have gone ahead to the great beyond. As we remember their good deeds we also savor the saints’ ideals and their fealty to the Lord’s teachings as we join others in prayer that the Almighty’s grace and blessings will continue and enable us to live and carry on our pilgrimage here on earth in accord with His will. Even as winds brought about by typhoon “Santi” made it quite difficult for those in it’s path to observe things normally, there is no denying the undying links rebuilt with loved ones both living and dead on these days of remembering.

We also take this occasion to extend once again our warmest congratulations and best wishes to INC Executive Minister Eduardo “Ka EddieBoy” Manalo who celebrated his birthday yesterday, Oct. 31. The newly minted head of the powerful and decidedly largest indigenous Filipino Christian church took over the leadership upon the death of his dearly beloved father — Executive Minister Erano “Ka Erdie” Manalo — who presided over the church’s global expansion and coming-of-age, as it were, into the ranks of the world’s most influential churches with members in over 100 countries. There is no doubt that Ka EddieBoy will ably build on this platform created by his grandfather and INC founder Ka Felix Manalo, father and their adherents to make of the INC an even more influential and dedicated shepherd to the millions out there who rely and count on the Church’s teachings and guidance as they make their daily lives a joyful and prayerful journey to the bosom of the Almighty. May he and his flock continue to be blessed in their life journey.

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Chiz, presidentiables and baggage. No doubt Sen. Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero exploded a bombshell when he announced his resignation from the country’s second largest political party, NPC, some days back instead of accepting the party’s putative endorsement as its presidential bet in 2010. Having been touted as probably the party’s next best hope after his ninang and partymate, Sen. Loren Legarda, announced a day or two earlier that she was seeking the vice presidency instead of the top post. That, in the minds of many, was a give-away, giving Chiz the time and the opportunity to finally settle down to the business of building up the NPC team enroute to victory in the presidential polls. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. Instead, we have this shocker of his resigning from the party which nursed him to the heights and which he in turn, for 11 years, served with excellence and dedication. That was really a “game changer” of sorts almost equal to that of Tita Cory’s death which catapulted her son, Sen. Noynoy Aquino, to center stage “presidentiable-to-beat” in just over 10 days. Coming as it did just after the withdrawal of DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno from the vice presidential race which left the ruling coalition scampering for a viable partner for its presidential bet, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, this one introduced even more chaos into the campaigns. But, as one observer noted, any and all surprises should be expected from now up to the deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy (CoC) by Nov. 30. But back to Chiz.

While a lot of reports, commentators and analysts have taken to highlight the question of funding as the root cause of the Bicol solon’s departure there was something in the choice of words and the delivery of his bombshell which point to other, possibly more basic considerations. Not that funding or loyal and steady party support are inconsequential. Not at all. In fact, as the campaign comes to town, these two factors’ role will be magnified beyond recognition.

Not even the Obama campaign which was touted as the most unorthodox, out-of-the-box change and people politics campaign was spared from such basic requirements. Obama battled it out within the Democratic Party, enlisted millions to the institution and in the end outspent his closest primary rival, then Sen. Hillary Clinton, almost two-to-one and nailed down his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, by outspending him at every turn which ultimately made him the biggest election spender of all time. And these millions did not come only from the ordinary folks who contributed through his array of web based funding operations but from the high and mighty who control America’s lifelines, many of whom decided to walk away from their traditional roots in the Republican Party to Obama’s Democrats.

What shook the campaigns and, of course, Chiz’ most rabid supporters was his heavily laced rhetoric against what he called baggage in every presidential run and the almost condemnatory manner by which he denounced such baggage.

Never mind the suddenness of his decision. He was running on “change” alright. But why do so and burn your bridges as well? These and a lot of other questions raced through people’s minds after the event at Club Filipino. What prompted Chiz to say goodbye to all? His chief political adviser, Lito Banayo, summarized in his last column in Malaya thus: “For change to be genuine and meaningful, the tired, old buzzwords and catch phrases ring empty. At a time when public despair and despondency threaten to break up the polity, new solutions and fresh ideas, this amorphously defined cry for Pagbabago (change) needed positing. And solutions offered had to go beyond motherhood statements..”

He continued: “The young Escudero saw how ‘people power’ so soon after its proud birth was compromised in the shoals of the return of traditional politics. People power never brought power to the people. It was exploited by the powerful and wealthy few to bring them more power and more wealth. For the people to feel that to them belongs the power to a sovereign and democratic nation, then what must be practiced is ‘people politics,’ in present practice nothing else but power politics in the guise of party politics. In a time of continuing blight, with 65 percent of the population young but hopeless, reaching out for one’s North Star must be done without mental reservation or emotional qualm..”

The youthful solon has chosen to tread a new, unbeaten path by unburdening himself of all that Philippine politics — under normal, martial law and even people power times — has conditioned our people to take. Contrary to the popular belief that he poured his frustration on NPC and its founder, SMC chairman Danding Cojuangco, Chiz actually took a dig at all those who are now busily arraying their ammunition and firepower in the most traditional and sly of ways in the run up to 2010. That includes the icon’s son, Sen. Noynoy Aquino, whom he referred to as haciendero and his partymates in the Liberal Party who have taken on the mantle of “change” only to hug and go after all the power brokers, the holier-than-thou crowd and the old liners in a bid to breeze their way into 2010 with the same old people power mantras. The baggage which Chiz referred to is not exclusive to his old party but endemic in all others who are now vying for the people’s votes. But if I catch his drift and that of Banayo and the rest who showed up at Club Flipino, what they were more incensed about is “hypocritical politics.” The politics of double speak, of hiding behind legacies and empty rhetoric, using every chord string to play with people’s emotions only to retire to their old haunts and wine, dine and compromise the people’s interests yet again. People Power misused many times over. Which is why I suppose he used Bagong Pagbabago not just Pagbabago as his battle cry. No to traditional politics and all the baggage it brings. No to business-as-usual and all the bondage that provides. And no to hypocritical politics and all the heartaches that it will surely bring. We will soon see how the youthful Senator Chiz’s challenge resonates with a public which has been, unfortunately, inured to such promises.