The recent action of Sen. Mar Roxas to give way to Sen. NoyNoy Aquino to be the presidential standard bearer of the Liberal Party is an act of political sacrifice that should earn him some important sympathy votes. It must have been very painful for Sen. Mar, who has invested a lot for the upcoming 2010 elections.The political value for the emerging tandem of a NoyNoy-Mar candidacy in 2010 remains to be seen from the point of view of reforms and genuine alternative politics. It is also wanting of whether or not the tandem can really unite the opposition (if the opposition is divided, it is the administration that continues to benefit).
But using the lens of analyzing transactional party machinery, the tandem can be a formidable force. Why is that?
Consider the following: the NoyNoy-Mar tandem also means Kris-Korina support. Imagine how showbiz machinery can enhance political machinery by leaps and bounds. And Sen. Kiko Pangilinan already announced to support Sen. NoyNoy, so bring into the equation the Megastar factor, his popular wife-actress Sharon Cuneta. And if the Megastar is added into the equation, rest assured you can also count on the active support of Juday Santos, another popular actress who has stated to join a Pangilinan campaign come the 2010 elections (Juday's campaign in 2007 for another senator was a poor taste, a classical TRAPO!).
The problem is, will Sen. Pangilinan give way to Sen. Mar for the Vice Presidency? If yes, what will happen to Sen. Mar Roxas? Giving up the presidency is already painful; yielding up the vice presidency might be losing face too much. Sen. Roxas is one who will not simply give in to the prospect of obscurity!
So will this be a NoyNoy-Mar versus NoyNoy-Kiko? These are very challenging times for the Liberal Party. The administration party and the Nacionalistas must be delighted, while the other political movements -- reformists included -- continue to bemuse and perplex in their (our) search for the right candidate!
The great Winston Churchill was not kidding when he uttered: “In war, you can only be killed once,
but in politics, many times!"
(photo courtesy of Inquirer.net)
