Tick tock tick tock. The 2022 elections are just around the corner and all the venerable “thought leaders” of the Opposition could do is gush about the latest PR stunt of “vice president” Leni Robredo and defend her pale spaghetti sensibilities. You’d think a country of more than 100 million could come up with even one Opposition leader who could give the enormously popular incumbent, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, a run for his money. But no. All there is at the moment is Leni.
It boggles the mind as to just how bankrupt the Opposition are. They are bankrupt ideologically and they are bankrupt human-resource-wise. All its esteemed members do is stumble from one outrage fad after another and latch on to the most recent “trending” flypaper issue of the week in between Pinoy Big Brother evictions. All the while, no platform, vision, nor roadmap is forthcoming. No election winning strategy. There is even no new catchphrase or hand gesture to replace “Daang Matuwid” nor that “L” loser salute.
So how in the world will the Opposition beat Duterte in 2022?
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“Helping the poor” is so last century. And yet “helping” remains the brain-dead cornerstone call to action of the Yellowtards (Robredo’s camp) and, of course, the communists, the latter having spent the last century suckering the world into believing that theirs is a “cause” championing the “oppressed” and “have-nots” of this world. Having been caught up as a bunch of liars, it is baffling that they continue to plan to set themselves up for failure building their proposition to Filipino voters upon such dishonest foundations.
And what of mainstream Big Corporate Media? They make up a sad sunset industry still believing their “news” desks remain the go-to brokers or of facts for mass consumption. They have no choice but to depend on intellectually-degrading content they call “entertainment” for the ad revenues they need to mass-signal their pretentious virtue. It is the world’s biggest irony that today’s Opposition remain imprisoned in a diseased symbiotic relationship with these mass communication perversions. Working together, they are not out to assure Filipinos their democratic freedom but rather seek to stubbornly protect the monopoly over the political narrative they once held.
The reason the Opposition struggle to find a leader who is as dumb enough as Robredo to vie for the presidency under their obsolete flags is because no politician who has half a brain would touch the rhetoric they will be required to parrot on the campaign trail. Perhaps then, the next leader of the Opposition is out there somewhere, but he or she will likely not emerge from nor be molded within the chi chi soirees and echo chambers of the current Opposition camps as we know them. In short, Leni Robredo is a dead-end bet. If a genuine opposition is serious about alternatives, it should begin by crafting new thinking and new narratives that can inspire Filipinos rather than insult their intelligence.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
My take on this, the Opposition is just in no rush to push a new front runner (leader candidate) for the next election, given that…
1) They can give Robredo the present to try and shine if she still can. Her supporters are with her and you can’t discount them in the election.
2) All of us have no idea who Pres Duterte will give his blessing in the next election. I don’t think both sides know who he will give his blessing to. But currently, the press release is it won’t be his daughter.
Given that, I think Opposition not pushing alternatives to Robredo is also a wait and see action to who the presidential candidate will be. In the meantime, everyone is just business as usual with Robredo in the front who can take the beating (media mileage wise) if there is one.
I personally think it makes sense to not rush as they already tripped (failed) in the last election to get the votes needed. This is the smarter move for me so as not to be tripped up early on before the race even starts.
Agree and good points right there. As I recall, Jejomar Binay seemed to have suffered the same problem — coming out to present himself as a candidate earlier than most and then giving ample chance for those opposing him to mount an aggressive smear campaign before he could get his act together.
Is benigno even interested to know the reality that makes up the Filipino voters to say what strategy will work for any presidential candidate? Those have- nots’ right to vote is the only thing that’s keeping this ‘ democracy’ afloat and what’s keeping them from skewering their corrupt leaders and the self-appointed masters. Ironically, we trust our fellow enough not to go to that extreme , yet we still don’t trust them enough to treat them with dignity.
Lugaw Robredo, was used by the Roxas; Aquino Cojuangco political axis; Porky Drilon; and the Liberal party to stop, Bong Bong Marcos, Jr. , in his political bid for Vice President position; and possibly, the President position.
The Aquinos are very “politically vindictive family”; and they want power for themselves only…they are very greedy for political power.
Just pitching a pro-poor platform won’t win a candidate the presidency in the next elections because the poor are a minority (composing only 20% of the population).
As for Opposition camp alternatives to Leni – well that’s probably as bankrupt as the thickness of the Opposition crowds that will appear in the upcoming 35th people power anniversary celebrations at the EDSA shrine this February.
Among the many names being circulated as potential presidential candidates this coming 2022: Moreno, Robredo, Go, Pacquiao, Duterte, Marcos, Remula, Hontiveros, Sotto, Poe, Cayetano, Diokno, Torres-Gomez, Cayetano, Ang, Villar, Lacson, it’s amazing we even find Opposition bet Chel Diokno’s name out there.
How does one go from losing big time for a Senatorial seat in the recent elections to launching a national campaign for the highest office in the land? It takes a very special person to be capable of wrapping one’s mind around this type of logic.
I really don’t know why most presidential bets of LP are the “puppets,” dumb and dumber type of candidates. Parang tatanga-tanga naman sila, without a mind of their own. I mean, in all fairness to the current LP senators, they have nad interests at hand, that’s a given, but hindi sila yung tipong tatanga-tanga. May utak naman sila. Hence, I’m wondering why they always put the puppets on the frontline. I’m not sure if you’ll get this comment, but if you compare Cory or Leni to someone like Rissa or Kiko, di hamak naman na mas may conviction naman magsalita si Rissa and Kiko. Yes, they have bad interests at hand (under the elites and they’re elites themselves), pero hindi sila yung ipong tatanga-tanga na kailangan pa na always may script or back-up.