DOLPHY is showbiz’s Comedy King, that’s why when I saw him in that political ad seriously vouching for the integrity of presidentiable Manny Villar, I almost laughed. “Almost” because the punch line I was waiting for never came. Minutes later, when I realized the magnitude of what the widely respected veteran actor did, I almost cried.
Villar and his spin doctors used Dolphy like what they did to those poor children: sugarcoat his real character. The children made it appear Villar is “of the poor” when the truth is he is “of the rich.” The Dolphy pol ad started coming out when a Senate report confirmed Villar’s role in relocating the C-5 road extension project to favor his property.
But then again, this is the election season when candidates make themselves look attractive to the public even if in reality they are not. It’s not only Villar doing it but also all the other presidential aspirants. So too the senators and those people running at the local level. The point is for the voters to be able to sift fact from fiction. But that is tricky.
The report of the Senate Committee of the Whole that looked into Villar’s alleged unethical conduct on the C-5 project should remind people that corruption in government is actually the main issue in the May elections. We don’t want to have another six years of a Gloria-like admin: seemingly well-run on the outside but corruption-tinged inside.
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I don’t know why there’s much fuss over the result of the mock poll during the “Choices and Voices” forum in Cebu that featured six presidential aspirants. I googled “mock” and among the definitions that “The Free Dictionary” (thefreedictionary.com) offered was this: “simulated, false, sham.” I mean, should mock polls be taken seriously?
Gibo Teodoro topped the poll. So? In the current scheme of things, that gives Team Teodoro some bragging rights. I mean, them gloating would be understandable. Supporters of Noynoy Aquino, who came in second, and the other aspirants who trailed Gibo should have accepted reality and moved on. It was but a mock poll, remember?
I mean, does one forum change the complexion of the presidential elections in the province? No. I guarantee you that only a minuscule few of those who attended the forum had an open mind about the six presidentiables. Majority had a bias for one or two bets and went there only to look for arguments to prop up their bias. It’s as simple as that.
That’s why I say Gibo is in dire straits judging from results of national surveys. His five percent rating trails those of Joseph Estrada, Manny Villar and Noynoy Aquino. The only way he can go up is to win over to his side the supporters of the other three aspirants. That needs lots of “Choices and Voices” forums, if such forums matter at all.
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Still on the term “mock,” I think we should stop “mocking” the Catholic Church and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for their failure to influence the result of elections unlike, say, the Iglesia ni Cristo. By the way, the CBCP pastoral letter told voters not to be swayed by surveys in choosing their bets. I agree.
But back to the Catholic vote. Imagine if the CBCP whispers to its flock who to vote for and all Catholics follow what is being whispered. That would destroy the electoral process considering the number of Catholics in the country. I mean, will the spurned bets ever have a chance? This, as the bishops will end up our virtual ruler.
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)