Bobong Pinoy
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December 8, 2003
MY late father, a constable, told of a story of how an intoxicated mayor had a group of San Juan cops line up in one row so he could pee on them. What the police officers did to deserve to be treated like toilet bowls remains unclear to me to this day.
That's one of the many reasons why I didn't even think of wasting my vote on the man when he ran for President in 1998. Scoundrels or not, or whether or not the cops deserved the urine shots was never the issue to me two elections ago. Rather, the issue was breeding and the thought that this man, a former movie star and mayor who wanted to be President at that, was ill-bred. (Those who saw his brother doing a John Holmes--a much smaller version though, so they say--on tape would have an idea of the kind of breeding the siblings had.)
One of the privileges a columnist has is the license to make political predictions (minus the crystal ball, of course!). Sometimes, we are right in our "predictions". Sometimes, we are nearly right. And sometimes, we err. I was right though in early 1997 when I "predicted" in my column in the other paper that the man was going to win.
For lack of a better word, I am using "predicted". But it was not really a prediction given that common sense dictated that his 1998 victory was inevitable--thanks to the millions of bobong Pinoy who until now could not dissociate the silver screen from real life. This level of political immaturity is the reason why I, like the many political fence-sitters, had to concede that the man was going to win the presidency hands down.
(Excuse me for replacing the much abused word "masa" with bobong Pinoy; it's politically incorrect to attribute the man's 1998 victory to the masa because not all who come from the masses are bobo just as it is inaccurate to say that all those who belong the middle and elite classes are intelligent. But I guess it's safe to say that majority of the 1998 voters are bobo because if that wasn't the case, the fella wouldn't have become President.)
To the many bobong Pinoy at that time, he was the only presidentiable who did not sound, smell and look like a trapo although, truth is, he was--and still is. His Robin Hood image in the movies has somehow camouflaged his being a trapo. Proof to this is that despite his 2001 admission that he and Jose Velarde are one and the same, many of his bobong Pinoy followers are still saying that he is not. Can you believe that?
Now, his best friend, the Philippines' answer to John Wayne, is running. Hearing the news, I was flabbergasted. But, hey, it's his right--this is democracy!
True, the "best and the brightest" have failed to make this country a better place to live in. But what makes you think electing a President whose only qualification is his winnability would make any difference? What will he do when there's a problem arising from the Law of Supply and Demand? Ask Congress to repeal it? And if people start massing on Edsa, if people started marching to Malacanang, would he flee with his family via the Pasig River and then claim later that he merely took a leave of absence, thereby causing a legal problem that would divide the country and adversely affect the economy?
Point is, the presidency is no joke. And it definitely takes a lot more than common sense to run the affairs of a country.
Having good advisers would make a good president, so they say. That's exactly why politicians like Tito Sotto worked so hard to convince "Da King" to announce he would run for President next year. Can't you see? They want to become his advisers.
Sen. Sotto, for instance, is constitutionally barred from seeking another office term in the Senate. A seat in the Lower House or being governor or mayor would be a demotion. So becoming a Cabinet member or a presidential adviser isn't such a bad idea, is it?
It really depends on the definition of "good advisers". But if by "good advisers", they mean having the likes of Sotto, Ronaldo Zamora, Charlie "Atong" Ang or even Paquito Diaz in Malacanang, forget it.
If good advisers can make a good President, we might as well start electing presidential advisers. The problem with advisers is that if they are bright and their President is dumb, a country will have a puppet presidency.
Two elections ago, this country made a college dropout President. Next year, a high school dropout. In 2010, an elementary dropout?
There's a 50/50 chance, really, that Fernando Poe Jr. would make a good president. But there's also a 50/50 chance that he wouldn't. The only thing most of us are sure about--FPJ can sure make one hell of a blockbuster hit of a movie.
Now, if you are sure the country will be doomed if any of the other presidentiables makes it in 2004 and that all of them are rotten, then by all means, take the 50/50 chance. But if you think there are others who can do better, listen to your conscience. Do it for your country.
Like the many political soothsayers (imaginary or real), I was right when I made my 1997 "prediction" on who was going to win in the 1998 presidential derby. In that 1997 column, I also wrote, in jest, that the only one who can give Erap a run for his money was FPJ. It was meant as a joke and was not part of any political forecast. If by chance I unwittingly made a political forecast in that column about FPJ becoming President, I really hope I'll be proven wrong.
Now, here's another joke (or "prediction"): The only one who can beat FPJ is Sharon Cuneta.
Pastilan.
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