AFTER much hemming and hewing, President Rodrigo Duterte, chairman of the ruling PDP-Laban party, filed his certificate of candidacy for senator under a quaint political party with an even quainter name: Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS). He beat the substitution deadline by several minutes.
Before this, he seriously considered filing for vice president to challenge the candidacy of his own daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. This challenge would have been made out of spite, and not out of a genuine desire to serve the nation.
‘People who have been content with just watching from the sidelines are now waking up and insisting on participating in the electoral process, which is good for our democracy.’
How have we come to this pathetic situation?
The President himself explained it in an interview with vlogger Banat By, his premiere sycophant. Duterte said Bong Go came to him literally crying when Inday Sara decided to challenge his bid for the vice presidency with her own candidacy for the post. The President assuaged his hurt feelings and urged him to run for president instead.
So the PDP-Laban, at least the wing led by Energy Secretary Al Cusi, had to direct Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to withdraw from the race and give way to Go. What a relief, Bato could have said, for the deadline was nearing and he still had to find somebody to pass his COC slot to — a candidacy that he personally did not seek. So in the case of Bato, it was a party decision to file, and another party decision to withdraw. Read that “Digong” for “party.”
The fact that both Duterte and Go are running under the PDDS is a slap in the face of their original party, the PDP-Laban which would probably be destined to return to its former life as a shell party, considering too that Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s campaign has lost steam.
Many people — including retired general Antonio Parlade Jr. — are miffed and angry at how the President and his alter ego Bong Go are making a game out of this very serious matter of national leadership.
People who have been content with just watching from the sidelines are now waking up and insisting on participating in the electoral process, which is good for our democracy.
The Commission on Elections announced that we now have 5.4 million new registrants, all wanting to vote and be counted, and we pin our hopes on them for real change.
