Thursday, January 11, 2007 Wenceslao: Third force By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
THERE is sense in pushing for a Third Force in the May elections, one that would provide an alternative to the arrogant Arroyo administration and the discredited political opposition. A group in the Senate that got lost in the lobbying for inclusion in the opposition and administration senatorial slates was the first to mention “Third Force.”
I think the likes of Senate President Manuel Villar and Sens. Joker Arroyo, Francis Pangilinan and Ralph Recto can become credible leaders of that Third Force. It would be a pity if they are eventually absorbed by either the administration or the opposition slates and end up being dominated by politicians utterly lacking in scruples.
The problem with a Third Force is of course the capability to win. The administration and the political opposition surely have the machinery and the money to overwhelm those walking the middle ground. But there is a segment of the populace, like the middle class, that, if won over, can influence the preference of voters in the polls.
What this country needs is a credible alternative. The disinterest of Filipinos in our politics stems from their loss of faith in our politicians. There are potential good leaders, true, but they refuse to map out their own path and instead join established political groups populated by questionable people. They eventually drown in the muck.
*** Politics in the second district has just become exciting. Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante has announced that majority of the mayors in the district prefer Boljoon Mayor Deogenes “Wargong” Derama over former governor Pablo Garcia in the race for the district’s congressional seat. These mayors are allied with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
I do not know Derama, although I heard block-time radio broadcasters attack him on air. But even if he is clean, I doubt if he would make a better congressman than Garcia, who may already be old but whose mind has remained sharp. The worst thing to happen for the second district is when it ends up having another non-entity in Congress.
What is interesting is how the governor will play her cards. Surely, she does not want to lose the support of majority of the mayors in the district even as she already expressed her support for her father’s candidacy. Cesante wants a “win-win” solution. How that solution will turn is good to find out. Or will hell break loose in the district?
This situation would have been heaven-sent for political rivals of the Garcias. Unfortunately a solid political opposition is non-existent in the province as of the moment so nobody is exploiting the exposed cracks in the pro-Capitol camp. Or am I speaking too soon? Admittedly, the political situation now is still fluid so I maybe wrong.
E-MAIL. Reader Lourdes Ann Limpangog wrote this reaction to my column on Saddam’s execution: “I also watched the footage on CNN on the execution of Saddam Hussein and like you saw the video on Youtube. I think the execution will further heat up war-torn Iraq, as the former dictator still has many followers there.”
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ 0915-9228651/ my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)
