Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Wenceslao: Alternative shaping up By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
THIRD Force. The Force. Whatever it is called doesn't matter, as long as it is an alternative to both the Arroyo administration and the political opposition.
Or more specifically an alternative to the Marcosian elements in Malacañang and to the remnants of the ousted governments of Joseph Estrada and Ferdinand Marcos in the opposition.
That idea, proposed several articles ago, seems on the verge of being realized in the senatorial slate being mulled by Senate President Manuel Villar and Sens. Francisco Pangilinan, Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Franklin Drilon and Panfilo Lacson.
Okay, it's actually just Villars Nacionalista Party and Drilon's Liberal Party talking for now.
But the Third Force doctrine should attract adherents. Just listen to the ranting of elements of the Erap-led United Opposition (UNO) against the Force. Erap’s group has seen the threat. The truth is, UNO, even with vice president Teofisto Guingona in it, lacks credibility for being the repository of traditional, even ancient, politicians and values.
Former senator Francisco Tatad, eased out in UNO's power play, said it well: it's Kamag-anak Inc. all over again. In the slate: JV Ejercito, half-brother of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada; Allan Peter Cayetano, brother of Sen. Pia Cayetano; Coco Pimentel, son of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.; and Noynoy Aquino and his aunt Tessie Aquino-Oreta may be in.
My only worry is that the Third Force would not be true to the ideal. For starters, Lacson and Angara may not be a good fits there, having been identified with Erap at one time or another. I mean, once questionable personalities join the slate, the purity of the group’s intention will be easily questioned, and they will end up no different from UNO.
My point is simple. When the opposition launched their oust-Arroyo movement, the People Power attempt flopped simply because the effort was weighed down by the presence of discredited personalities in their ranks. The anti-Arroyos wrongly believed that a united front of credible and discredited personalities would gain people support.
Things would have been different had leaders of the Anti-Arroyo movement waged their struggle independent of the discredited politicians. But that is past. It is not yet late for, say, civil society and the militants to prop up a Third Force. If they can shake the hands of discredited politicians, they surely can unite with the credible ones.
And then the voters will have a genuine alternative in the elections.
