Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Ledesma: So far so good for Team Unity By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
TEAM Unity had its first appearance in Davao City last Sunday. Coming from different party affiliations, there seems to be a good chemistry among the members that the opposition had been predicting will soon disintegrate.
I think that they have finally looked and evaluated the real motives of each other in seeking to be drafted in the administration ticket and having settled that hump they now are revving up for the higher gear in their campaign.
The most valuable and significant assets in the Team Unity are Joker Arroyo and Raffy Recto. Joker is perceived to be the most credible and independent member of the Senate and having opted to join the administration bandwagon presupposes that the slate has a better agenda for the country.
Raffy Recto who is the acknowledged economist in the Senate had no problem deciding to which party should he join. His and Joker's pronouncements in rallies and mini-consultations with local leaders in Davao City revealed their nationalistic sentiments. It was clear that both had no ifs and buts when they weighed their options as to which party should they join.
The primordial consideration was the economic takeoff that the country is presently experiencing and their belief that pursuing the present economic agenda of the administration is definitely more sensible than the "Oust Gloria" plot that the opposition has as its primary objective.
The presence of three Mindanao-based candidates will be likely get an onus of sympathy votes from Mindanaoans. Sultan Kiram of Sulu is the only Muslim candidate and his endorsement for an interfaith solidarity and stable peace jibes well with the aspirations of the people in Mindanao.
Migs Zubiri, of Bukidnon, has not adequately explained the implication of the most important piece of legislation, which he authored and had become a law -- the Biofuel Act. I think it's because the campaign strategy for now is just the hoopla and getting-to-know sort of thing.
I just hope he will be able to articulate well the positive impact of this law to every Filipino. I am afraid though that he does not have a mechanism and a strategy on how to put this across to the electorates.
He is not in one place most of the time. His "Boom Tarat-tarat" jingle will not as the lyrics can be corrupted by some naughty pun masters.
Prospero Pichay, from Surigao has an excellent name recall. That Kung Hai "Pichay" text message am sure has reached not a few million text bugs last Sunday.
He too has a clearer political agenda for Mindanao, which am sure will endear him to Mindanaoans. Pichay is no pushover either. His impressive records in Congress back that up.
He cannot keep his sentiments however over the fact that while we are carping about lacking in representation in the Senate, we Mindanaoans do not back up candidates from this region.
True indeed. Problem is, those we elected to the Senate quickly forgot they are from Mindanao the moment they are proclaimed. Anyway, given the options, it's still better to go solidly for candidates from Mindanao- but two Pimentels, just like having two Estradas and Cayetanos in one cramp senate hall is just too much a of a fluke.
All's well that starts well in the miting de avance of the Team Unity. There's a multitude that watch their initial rally at the Rizal Park.
So big was the crowd that Joker confessed he was neither scared of his colleague in the senate hall nor of the number of justices in the Supreme Court but he was cowed by the huge crowd that came to witness their rally. There's no doubt this time that the partnership of Mayor Rudy Duterte and Majority Floor Leader Boy Nograles in promoting the national slate of the Team Unity is bearing some veritable results.
When the systems go, and, as I said in previous columns, you can be sure that whatever the rosy survey figures the opposition had been priding themselves with, is bound to a crash.
