It’s about character
Posted on March 5, 2007 - Filed Under Punch Forum |
Ramon Macaranas
5 Mar 2007
Yes it is so sad that these things are happening, Mr. Pontaoe. But if you ask me, it is the Governor's intentions that are more, in your words, "distrustful and in question." What can be more distrustful than not wanting to leave your post no matter what? It's as if the good governor is so sentimentally (or maybe financially) attached to his office. Lambino served his party well, and this is what is lacking in the other candidates- loyalty. Though I may not agree with all of Lambino's actions, I can say that his loyalty to his party shows the man's character.
In this day and age of Philippine politics, any other political wannabe would surely have switched sides by now. This is where you separate the men from the boys. Knowing Lakas and Speaker JDV, I am almost certain Lambino was already offered a different position by his party, maybe even a "morsel of bureaucracy" like you said. But the man remains firm.
That is probably why Lakas cannot even nominate their candidate for governor yet. If they nominate Agbayani's wife and Lambino decides to run as an independent or even worse, under the opposition, the senatorial votes will surely be affected and this is exactly what they do not want to happen. More opposition senators will surely spell disaster for GMA and the administration.
Also, to argue, Lambino never begged for the position. To beg means to ask for something that is not yours, that you are not entitled to. I am not saying that the governorship is his, or that he is the only one entitled to it. All I am talking about here is the party nomination- now that definitely belongs to Lambino alone. How can you say the Governor's wife is entitled to that nomination? Do you automatically become a member of the party by virtue of marriage? I don't think so. Obviously, Gov. Agbayani has a different opinion, thus he is now on a shopping spree for Lakas candidates. And his number one draft pick? How surprising- his wife!
As you said, Mr. Pontaoe, Lambino has plenty of options. He can run as independent, go back to Malasiqui "and lick his wounds", etc. With all your poetic chutzpah, I believe you are missing a very important point here, and that is the ever important money. With all his charisma and winnability, maybe even with the help of all the saints and angels, the sad truth is Lambino cannot match his opponent’s peso for peso. More so if he runs as an independent.
As Mr. Miguel Bulatao mentioned in his post, you need money to guard your votes. So much money in fact, that without a party's backing, it is almost impossible even for a middle class man to run. You need to be filthy rich, and filthy rich he (Lambino) is not. This is probably why the Agbayanis think they can boss Lambino around with their fat bank accounts.
Though with that said, I would still want Lambino to run and give everybody else a good fight. Lambino has character, and that is a scarce commodity in today's politicians. He is not like the others out there who play safe and leave many avenues open for themselves. If he was that type of a man, he would not have endorsed Rachel Arenas for congress and kept that path open should he need an escape plan.
I am also almost certain that Lambino was aware of the possibility of Agbayani's wife entering the scenario for he (Lambino) has been in politics for a long time. Had he been lacking in character and morals, he would have lambasted Agbayani early on and would have dug up whatever filth he could find in the governor's office. But he did not. Now that, my fellow Pangasinenses, is class.
I am proud to say Lambino has my vote. The question is, will my vote be counted? If he runs independently, he will be up against the political machinery of the administration and that is no joke. If only he had the money, he would not be having these problems now. He needs to secure his votes, period. Lambino might just have to jump ship at the very last minute. I cannot blame him if he decides to run under the opposition should he not be nominated by his party. The distrust and utter disrespect that his party is showing him might just be too much for him (or anyone for that matter) to handle. And most importantly, it might be the only way to guard his votes.
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