The big time print and broadcast media, vloggers and late comers analysts went gaga over the recent trip of Pres. BongBong Marcos in Naga City to visit former Vice President and now Mayor Leni Robredo. The duo were political protagonists who did not really have kind words for each other. Leni has replaced Risa Hontiveros as the likely candidate for president of the loose political coalition which is being bannered as the “Opposition”. It truth however they are among the lapdogs of Marcos and Romualdez who, like a jukebox, plays the selected tune with a drop of a coin. The only difference is that this coalition needs millions each to get it to play. This is confirmed by the group of 18 brave retired Marines and their comrades in arms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
BBM met Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo childishly displaying wearing a pink pair of socks. It’s not for fashion but a political statement Leni being the matriarch of the Pinklawan. In short what we see is the head of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and the moribund Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan (KBL) swallowing his pride to woo Leni. As an aside “Pinklawan” is derived from color pink which is Robredo’s political campaign color and “dilawan” which is attributed to her Liberal Party supporters who are “yellow” -inclined” and identified with the Aquino family and now with Marcos Jr.
The unexpected visit of BongBong Marcos to what is virtually an enemy camp is a knee jerk reaction to the equally unanticipated early and unequivocal declaration of Vice President Sara Duterte that she is running for President.
Sara’s announcement might have sent jitters to BBM he flew posthaste to Leni to negotiate for a possible tandem or maybe support for her renewed crack at the Presidency. He must be thinking that a Leni-BongBong Unity ticket will be another winning chance. He started with a sweetener: handing over to Leni a whooping ₱500-million to refurbish the Robredo Coliseum. Former DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, who was a champion of transparency and accountability in government, must be turning in his grave for making him an instrument of another vicious display of profligacy and waste of taxpayers money.
The consolation here is that we have a preview of what would happen in a Leni-BongBong administration, a foreboding possible sequence of events in the dubious plot to transition from the present graft-ridden administration to the next, assuming of course a scenario, where the duo takes over the reigns of the government anew.
However the possibility is far fetched. VP Sara is gaining more support which are declared openly in public. The ruling political leadership in Maguindanao had published its unequivocal adherence to Sara’s presidential bid. In Davao de Oro, former Governor Arturo’ “Papa Gov” Uy and son Tyrone have announced their commitment to support VP Sara. It is a steadfast pledge borne from the outrage against the corrupt regime that has pushed the country on the edge of perdition. The same sentiment is gleaned from the result of a survey done by the University of Mindanao in Davao City showing Marcos scoring a -40% (negative) rating among Davaowenyos.
A Leni-BongBong tandem will not wash away the issue of corruption, the bankruptcy of the government’s coffers and the kidnapping of former President Rodrigo Duterte. VP Sara, by the admission of her political nemeses, is the strongest candidate in the 2028 presidential race. Leni will not be of help to BongBong and BongBong, whether he wears a pink headband to impress Leni’s supporters will only drag her to an ignoble defeat.
