Stepping Down as the Leader of the Pack You’re Supposed to Lead - What Now Mr. Teodoro?

I have to say, I was a bit shocked when I read the news on Gibo’s decision on stepping down as the leader of Lakas-KAMPI-CMD. Although I was expecting Gibo to be upset with the lack of support from Gloria Arroyo, I didn’t expect that the retaliation would be this harsh. What’s even worst is that other leaders in the party started resigning as well. But these guys didn’t leave the party – they just stepped down as the leaders of the ruling party.

Gibo’s situation is one of the weirdest situations when you take a look at the past elections. For example, the late Cory Aquino raised the hand of Ramos and even went out to inform people on her support. Ramos also showed support on Jose de Venecia in for the 1998 elections but the man lost to Erap Estrada. Where is this guy by the way? Erap was not able to endorse someone and Gloria only endorsed herself. Everyone is expecting her to get out and raise the hand of this guy but nothing happened. They reasons her low ratings might affect Gibo’s bid for presidency. I think that statement doesn’t ring any bell. Whether she raises this guy’s hand or not, Gibo will always be Lakas-KAMPI-CMD and Gloria is also Lakas-KAMPI-CMD. The people are not stupid. I think Gibo would even have the chance to increase votes if she raises the guy’s hand simply because she is the president.

But the rumor saying Gloria is now talking to Villar is taking its toll on the Gibo. I think Gibo might have received a misdirected text message, received a phone call that was supposed to be from someone else or simply overheard a conversation from an important person. He feels betrayed – it’s like a boyfriend receiving some text message from his girlfriend with “mwah” but the message was for another guy. Ouch!

So what should Gibo do? I have three recommendations:

• Step out of the party and go berserk on them (including the President) – this is the perfect moment to tell the people what you really feel. If you get out of the party, you can say anything about the party and get away with it. Plus, you’ll be seen as a great guy because you had enough balls to get out of your house and put it on fire.

• Release an official statement telling them the real deal – I know you have the gift of gab but you don’t have to spin this situation. Everyone knows why you stepped down and saying another thing will make the people think you’re just another politician. Rattle the cage a little bit by stating something horrible about the party. Let the PR guys of Lakas-KAMPI-CMD and Malacañang worry about your words.

• Change your name on the President’s phone to MVillar – meet with the president and try to borrow her phone as if you want to change your number (tell her you’re on Sun now). Don’t change your number, change your name on the directory to MVillar. This will allow you to receive text messages that were supposed to reach Manny Villar (this is the cheating girlfriend/boyfriend technique).
Please tell us the real score. And don’t tell us you want to concentrate on campaigning because that’s just crazy.

Midnight Appointments – a Sign of Loopholes and Dirty Secrets

Appointing someone in the final days allowable is often seen as final political movements for survival. Forget about the welfare of the country, the decision is simply to get someone there that will help the politician’s cause in the future. If the person is really worthy of the position, they should have been there in the best possible moment. Getting someone there in the last few days (or hours) will only raise suspicion and questions.

The recent decision made by Malacañang to nominate Alfonso Yuchengco is one of those appointments that only raise questions rather than provide solution. Former Amb. Yuchengco was nominated as ambassador to Germany and the nomination was made 2 days before the 6-day banning period. Yahoo News actually has a great piece regarding this nomination. You’ll actually find some conspiracy theories that can be very scary because they editorial points to something obvious. The appointment might have been done to hide something. Fortunately, this nomination will most likely be void.

But who is Alfonso Yuchengco? He’s the head of one of the wealthiest families in the country and he is the head of Yuchengco Group of Companies including Pacific Plans which was highly controversial. He was also Ambassador to China, Japan and UN in the past. By the way, he’s already 87-years old. No disrespect for the elderly but with his wealth, he should be at home enjoying the presence of his grand kids while handing out scholarships and grants. Making him an ambassador today might still work but I think there are younger people who can be more agile than Yuchengco.

What do we need to learn from nominations? We should be listening closely to the news on radio and watch intently on TV. We should be vigilant and react to news that affects our country and future. Things like this can go through without our knowledge if we don’t keep a watchful eye.