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Bert Romulo will support Noynoy
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 2009-09-17
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Foreign Affairs Secretary Bert Romulo and your Chair Wrecker go back a long way. After Ninoy Aquino was assassinated on August 21, 1983, Bert and your Chair Wrecker became comrades in the struggle to remove the Ferdinand Marcos regime.
After Cory C. Aquino became president in February 25, 1986, Bert and your Chair Wrecker both joined the administration. Bert went on to become a Senator after winning in the 1987 elections – the second to be conducted after the restoration of democracy (the first was the plebiscite for the 1987 Constitution).
Both the plebiscite and the Senate elections were overwhelming victories for the Cory forces, obviously riding on the coat tails of the Cory Magic. The 1987 Constitution was passed with an over 85% YES vote. In the 1987 Senate race, 22 out of 24 Cory candidates won. Both elections were two of the cleanest ever conducted in our country.
The recent surveys that show Senator Noynoy Aquino leading the 2010 presidential race by a mile could also develop into a similar political tidal wave where Noynoy candidates for Senator, District Representatives, Governors, Mayors and the other local officials will win a resounding victory.
In fact, those members of political parties who are whistling a ‘happy tune’ and bragging that Noynoy does not have the machinery to win in 2010 are suffering from massive defections. In truth, they are the ones who may end up with no machinery left by the time we all go to our respective precincts to vote.
Many of those still left in the Lakas-CMD-Kampi merged parties are seeking to join the Noynoy bandwagon. They know a political tsunami when they see one and they fear that this will affect their respective local political turfs.
One of the prominent officials of the troubled Lakas-CMD-Kampi merger, a notorious operator, is even asking for a meeting with Noynoy. When Noynoy’s sister Ballsy heard about the requested meeting, she reportedly exclaimed: “Yuck!”
Going back to Bert Romulo, he and your Chair Wrecker again worked together during the 1998 presidential campaign. Trying to prevent the Joseph “Erap” Estrada ascendancy from happening, we first tried to promote Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) who ended up running for Vice President instead. We then joined Cory and tried to get Fred Lim elected as 1998 president but we failed.
Last Monday, as STAR President Miguel Belmonte, your Chair Wrecker and Meyang (Mrs. Chair Wrecker) were having lunch at the Sofitel along Manila Bay — lo and behold, Bert Romulo walked in to have lunch with his son Erwin. Bert sat with us for a while and we had a very interesting conversation.
After the usual pleasantries, our discussion focused on the exciting developments in the 2010 presidential elections. Bert Romulo agreed that the 2010 political landscape had changed and changed for the better with the emergence of Noynoy Aquino.
Bert Romulo agreed that the country has transformed from deep cynicism to renewed hope with the emergence of Noynoy’s candidacy which is seen by many as representative of good, clean, trustworthy government. This is what fuels the sensationally high ratings Noynoy is showing in the surveys.
Those who try to dismiss the Noynoy phenomenon as effects of momentary euphoria, which will supposedly abate by the time elections are held, are whistling a ‘happy tune’ and merely trying to present an ‘unfazed’ front.
There is an ideological divide that has emerged in the 2010 equation. Voters are elated to suddenly find that they can choose a good president over those who offer themselves as the lesser evils. Do you see voters seeing any of these so-called lesser evils as symbols of good come Election Day?
Bert Romulo cautions Noynoy though to carefully select the people seen around him as the wrong ones could provide the ammunition with which to erode his position. That’s good advice. Since they cannot find any dirt on Noynoy, they will create it by association. The repeated “Be your own man” Palace mantra could be building up to that point of attack.
Bert Romulo said that he will support Noynoy Aquino’s bid for 2010 president. The Foreign Affairs Secretary being one of the most important posts in the executive branch of government, Bert Romulo’s support is a major boost for Noynoy Aquino’s candidacy and a big blow for the administration candidate.
Bert also believes that all those dreaded scenarios of Charter change, failure of elections and so forth won’t happen. This is, of course, one of the windfalls of the emergence of the Noynoy phenomenon. How can you cheat a landslide winner without provoking People Power or worse repercussions?
People sense who will be behind a failure of elections. People will automatically blame the only group with the capability to engineer the failure and there will be hell to pay if Noynoy is ever cheated or prevented from fulfilling the mandate of the people.
Expect the police and military to know who their real, new Commander-in-Chief is and they will react accordingly to patently illegal orders. Even administration supporter, former president Fidel V. Ramos, knows this and has warned those who may be contemplating such sinister schemes.
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