Back to square one

 Ben Contreras

REMEMBER “Hello, Garci”? The general perception was that the then Comelec commissioner Virgilio Gacillano made former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo win the election against the now late movie action star Fernando Poe Jr. whose adopted daughter, Sen. Grace Poe, is now riding high on a borrowed popularity that is threatening the presidential ambitions of others.

Now, this story from a columnist of a national daily  about a plot to rig the coming elections that mentioned two “notorious election operators” flown from our city to Manila. Is history about to repeat itself?

Smartmatic has become synonymous with “hocus PCOS.” Some would call it, a “querida” of Comelec in a sinister plot. Many candidates in the recent past won allegedly due to “hocus PCOS.” So, who’s going to benefit this time?

What’s bugging the mind is the seemingly reckless and quite open invitation of the two operators, allegedly, as if it was meant to be seen by the prying eyes of those in the media. Things like that should have taken with utmost secrecy and discreet.

Two things are possible:

1) condition the mind of the electorate that if this candidate is certain to win through “hocus PCOS,” we might as well vote for him––a devious way to boost ratings;

2) there are those afraid of a non-LP presidential winner that might put LP party members in jail under a new adminisration.

In the event a non-LP candidate would be too popular to warrant a “hocus PCOS,” the supposed plot to rig the election, being unpopular and detestable might be used to declare a failure of election. Thus, it would make the incumbents hold over.

Who’s afraid of a Binay presidency? Some people are. This is the reason why everything is being thrown at Binay which may also be true. But there is always that possibility of surviving the storm. And that is the best time to call a “failure of elections.”

The information I got few months ago is that January 2015 is going to be crucial. It means many things are going to happen, things that would probably make headlines. Well, intelligence reports can go wrong at times.

But are they just afraid of a Binay presidency? Many are taking Duterte’s popularity for granted and some would downplay it. The truth is, he is being feared to snatch the presidency from other contenders.

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To continue using “zero-budget” as an excuse is to show one’s failure in his assigned task.

Until today, when the first term of Mayor Oscar Moreno is nearing its end, Atty. Egay Uy continues to use the “zero budget” as a scapegoat for our traffic woes. The effect is that he is using this to cover his failure as chair of Task Force Hapsay Dalan.

Uy is certainly not incapable. His weakness is in his self-proclaimed strength. He ignored good counsel from friends and well-meaning people. He focused too much on a minuscule part and neglected the whole body.

“Zero budget” is unsellable. If other projects can get the money they want, why not his TFHD? The lavish spending of Moreno negates the lack of fund for an important issue like traffic. Maski man lang unta alindahaw for RTA would suffice.

The truth is, Egay cannot solve our traffic problem. Call a spade a spade. The traffic problem is too enormous and endemic. The solution is not just about budget but primary on imposing the law and educating the motorists.

You may not agree with me but we are back to square one.