A Chiz-y Presidentiable No More

The clock is ticking, it is only seven months before The Big Turn Over. And the road to the presidential elections is littered with candidates who have fallen before the race even began.

Months before the official filing of the certificate of candidacy, presidential aspirant Ping Lacson, stepped aside as old issues with the deposed president Estrada now-presidentiable again hounded him more rabidly.

Veep Noli de Castro also succumbed a few weeks after Ping. With the political situation very volatile, candidates switching parties faster than a speeding bullet, and an endorsement from the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, De Castro was treading the political path very slowly, making sure that no misstep ends up blowing him to bits. However, he moved ve-e-ery slowly and missed the presidential train.

Today, a popular candidate once made the death bell toll. It is Chiz Escudero.




Chiz Escudero, a fledgeling senator, was once a district representative of Sorsogon who was at the forefront of the impeachement campaign against Arroyo. A very eloquent speaker, he is perceived as the least trapo (TRAditional POlitician literally, but trapo also translates into dishrag which most traditional politicians turn into) and is very popular among the idealistic Filpino youth.

Hoping to maintain an independent image, Chiz (I prefer to call him on a first-name basis) resigned from his party on the day that everyone was expecting him to make his formal announcement. Everyone was surprised, even his supposed running mate Loren Legarda. It spurred rumors that he will be running under Manny Villar's presidential bid. But, no, he went ahead and reiterated his previous statement against running with Villar. Chiz made it clear that IF EVER he would run for the presidency, it will be as an independent candidate, free from party affiliations and obligations.

The death of Chiz' presidential bid could also be a case bad timing. On the eve (not literally of course) of the Chiz' formal announcement of joining the presidential rat race, along came the twin disasters ketsana and parma. He decided to wait awhile and let the nation grieve first before the big announcement.Although that was a a fitting move for a gentleman and sensitive politician, putting the nation first before his own ass, but I also think it was a carefully calculated move to further bolster Chiz' popularity.

Anyway, today, Chiz's third (Imagine!) D-Day wasn't the bombshell everyone was expecting it to be. Early this morning he announced that he would no longer be in the running for the presidential bid, he wanted the presidency "but not at all costs". It would have been more dramatic only if it didn't coincide with the Maguindanao Massacre. Again, bad timing.

However, with Chiz dropping out, the ever-growing list of presidentiables, nuisance candidates and all, has trimmed down. And the nation has one less candidate to think about.

More importantly, with Chiz dropping out of the race, the opposition, busy with in-fighting themselves, has unintentionally become more united and more concentrated against the Evil Witch.

Now that's the silverlining in the dark, dark sky.



Thank you Michael Rodgers for the picture.

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