Rough Groove

Much ado about the Erap trial ads

Last week a full page ad published in major newspapers 4 July appealed for sobriety whatever the outcome of the Erap plunder trial. The ad had for its headline:

Erap: Guilty or not guilty. Kailangan bang may gulo?

The Opposition immediately reacted saying that its a conditioning of the public’s mind to a guilty verdict with the Arroyo administration pressuring the Sanidganbayan. They even convened a press conference complete with banners crying

Free Erap! Palayain si Erap!

with the major personalities like Binay, Escudero, Tamano, Ejercito, Lim and Guingona.

What?

Its a bit incredulous and stretching the imagination if what they say is true but I can’t find any hint of conditioning in that ad. I’m more inclined to believe that this is more of a setup so that they are now conditioning the minds of the public as they might not be that hopeful of an acquital or a not guilty verdict for their idol.

Two weeks and still counting is not finished

Two weeks since the midterm elections and still the canvassing hasn’t been done yet at the PICC. With just a little less than probably 5% of votes still to be tallied for the senatorial elections, I doubt if it will be finished as soon as possible considering that these are votes from hotly contested areas hounded by allegations of cheating. Anyway, the Genuine Opposition is very likely to gain majority seats in the Senate but I just hope Miguel Zubiri will be able to dislodge Koko Pimentel (or even Trillanes).

As for the local positions, I should congratulate my uncle Dennis Basillote for making it again (after failing to clinch the vice mayoralty race in 2004) as councillor for my hometown* of Talisay City.

*I’m still not confident of calling my place as Talisay City. Just not used with that.
Photo shows my uncle and Eddie Gullas who also won as congressman for the 1st district of Cebu during their last miti de avance just before the elections.

Honasan apologizes

Gringo Honasan, after having been granted to post bail, was a free man the other day. After hitting the crowds campaigning, he, in an interview, admitted that he also made mistakes and that he apologized for the series of coup-d’etats that he has initiated and brought into the country during the administration of Cory Aquino. As much as I would want to believe the sincerity of this now aging man, I still doubt if it is really heartfelt. Come to think of it, he is running for the Senate as an independent and has to cover much ground considering that he was incarcerated and one thing that can get him votes is to tug at the hearts of Filipinos and get their sympathy.

Its a rather cheap shot. He has to prove his sincerity first. Idealistic as he might be, you can’t always trust a man who has gone against the goverment more than seven times and in the process disrupted the economic and fledging peace that was just attained after 1986 and still cannot shake off rumors that he’s behind other destabilization attempts like the failed Oakwood mutiny.

With his apology, will he do a Tessie Aquino-Oreta and explain why he was a coup-d’etat king?

A S O

The opposition unleashed one of its election jingle deriding some of the opposition figures who took refuge in the administration’s lineup. Based on a 50’s song, even without mentioning names, the jingle is clearly referring to Edgardo Angara, Tito Sotto and Tessie Aquino-Oreta.

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Kiko is out

Its official. Kiko Pangilinan, after snubbing the Genuine Opposition’s sorties and proclamation rally last Saturday night, the opposition elders have spoken and decided to yank him out of the lineup. In the first place, the senator never really asked to be included and have always espoused his being an independent. It was the opposition, who was in a rush to fill in their slate, drafted two of the members of the Wednesday group of the Senate (Villar is the other one while Recto and Joker Arroyo joined the administration).

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