After the mid-term elections for Senators and local officials this year, the Philippines is now looking at the Presidential elections in 2010.
In spite of the controversies hounding the national and local polls (most of these controversies focused on "adding and shaving off" votes) politicians are already preparing for the Presidential elections three years from now.
The excitement of the upcoming Presidential polls is definitely on the shoulders of the political opposition. Senators identified with the opposition captured eight of the 12 Senatorial seats. Two administration candidates were also elected while two others were independent candidates.
Topping the Senatorial slot is Loren Legarda, a defeated vice presidential candidate, in the 2004 Presidential polls.
Legarda is followed by Chiz Escudero, a young opposition lawyer who chair the minority bloc in Congress prior to his election as Senator.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former Estrada police general and avid anti-Arroyo who ran for re-election, landed third place. Another second-term Senator Manny Villar, who ran as Independent candidate, settled fourth place.
Amid bickering and prognostic assessment of would-be-Senators, one candidate made it to the top 12 by sheer guts and people's support. Imprisoned Navy man Antonio Trillanes, accused of rebellion for an attempted coup against the Arroyo administration in the failed Oakwood Mutiny in 2003, is occupying the 11th Senatorial seat.
Trillanes ran for Senator under the Genuine Opposition ticket while being imprisoned in a maximum security detention cell in Fort B0nifacio.
Another military leader turned politician who also ran for Senator while a case for rebellion is also being heard against him is former Senator Gregorio Honasan. Honasan, another Independent candidate, landed in the 10th place.
There are humors that Honasan is actually an administration candidate who reportedly signed a "secret deal" with the Arroyo administration in exchanged for his temporary freedom and subsequently, ran for the Senate.
Anyway, whether the opposition controls the Senate, the Arroyo administration is not intimidated. Knowing that the administration remains in control of the Lower House, majority of the administration candidates were elected to Congress in the May 14 elections this year, the Senate cannot just pass a legislative measure unless it first passes in Congress.
There is a possibility that the rubber stamp Congress is going to move anew for Charter Change. With the administration still in control of the majority of the Lower House, the plan for the shift from Presidential to Parliamentary is likely to resurrect.
Notwithstanding, an opposition Senate remains a headache of the Arroyo administration. Any move to shift the present Presidential government to a Parliamentary system will definitely meet stiff resistance from the Senate.
As usual, the Senate is not akin to changing the present Presidential form of government to Parliamentary system since most of the opposition senators are now gearing toward the presidential elections in 2010.
There are a lot of potential presidents among the newly elected Senators. These Senators are humored to run for President in 2010.
Among them are Loren Legarda, Manny Villar and Panfilo Lacson, all of the opposition, as against an administration beat, the incumbent Vice President Noli de Castro. Some materials for the Vice Presidency includes Escudero, Roxas and Aquino.
This early, some leaders of would-be-Presidential candidates have already started mapping political plans for another grueling elections three years ahead.###
In spite of the controversies hounding the national and local polls (most of these controversies focused on "adding and shaving off" votes) politicians are already preparing for the Presidential elections three years from now.
The excitement of the upcoming Presidential polls is definitely on the shoulders of the political opposition. Senators identified with the opposition captured eight of the 12 Senatorial seats. Two administration candidates were also elected while two others were independent candidates.
Topping the Senatorial slot is Loren Legarda, a defeated vice presidential candidate, in the 2004 Presidential polls.
Legarda is followed by Chiz Escudero, a young opposition lawyer who chair the minority bloc in Congress prior to his election as Senator.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former Estrada police general and avid anti-Arroyo who ran for re-election, landed third place. Another second-term Senator Manny Villar, who ran as Independent candidate, settled fourth place.
Amid bickering and prognostic assessment of would-be-Senators, one candidate made it to the top 12 by sheer guts and people's support. Imprisoned Navy man Antonio Trillanes, accused of rebellion for an attempted coup against the Arroyo administration in the failed Oakwood Mutiny in 2003, is occupying the 11th Senatorial seat.
Trillanes ran for Senator under the Genuine Opposition ticket while being imprisoned in a maximum security detention cell in Fort B0nifacio.
Another military leader turned politician who also ran for Senator while a case for rebellion is also being heard against him is former Senator Gregorio Honasan. Honasan, another Independent candidate, landed in the 10th place.
There are humors that Honasan is actually an administration candidate who reportedly signed a "secret deal" with the Arroyo administration in exchanged for his temporary freedom and subsequently, ran for the Senate.
Anyway, whether the opposition controls the Senate, the Arroyo administration is not intimidated. Knowing that the administration remains in control of the Lower House, majority of the administration candidates were elected to Congress in the May 14 elections this year, the Senate cannot just pass a legislative measure unless it first passes in Congress.
There is a possibility that the rubber stamp Congress is going to move anew for Charter Change. With the administration still in control of the majority of the Lower House, the plan for the shift from Presidential to Parliamentary is likely to resurrect.
Notwithstanding, an opposition Senate remains a headache of the Arroyo administration. Any move to shift the present Presidential government to a Parliamentary system will definitely meet stiff resistance from the Senate.
As usual, the Senate is not akin to changing the present Presidential form of government to Parliamentary system since most of the opposition senators are now gearing toward the presidential elections in 2010.
There are a lot of potential presidents among the newly elected Senators. These Senators are humored to run for President in 2010.
Among them are Loren Legarda, Manny Villar and Panfilo Lacson, all of the opposition, as against an administration beat, the incumbent Vice President Noli de Castro. Some materials for the Vice Presidency includes Escudero, Roxas and Aquino.
This early, some leaders of would-be-Presidential candidates have already started mapping political plans for another grueling elections three years ahead.###
No comments:
Post a Comment