Alright, even if I had already written an article far removed from Politics, for a change, some ‘friendly’ text messages have forced me to try to give my 5 cents worth of comments regarding the recently concluded very expensive and bloody Political Exercise, which, to some, just might be considered their own Political ‘OLYMPICS’! So read on, Joe!

        Well, for starters, I would like to SINCERELY congratulate my favorite outstanding and longstanding Mayor Jesse M. Robredo and his very deserving and dynamic ‘Sangunihan’ team for another really CONVINCING ‘Ubos kung Ubos’ landslide. I now sit convinced that with really good and indefatigable leaders like my idol, ‘J.R.’, elections will always be a breeze! Even if I was really pushing for my blood brother, Momi, I am now thankful that he has finally come to his senses (together with his motley group, I hope) and realized that Politics really is not his cup of tea. It never was, and it will, unfortunately, never be.

        Now, aside from their obvious ‘flaws’, Jojo Villafuerte’s group made the BIGGEST blunder of their ‘cockeyed’ political lives when they moved for that ‘half-baked’ DISQUALIFICATION of Naga City’s ‘darling’ Mayor! That stupid blunder only served to galvanize the City Electorate and made them SYMPATHIZE not only with Mayor Jesse but also his ‘indirect’ beneficiaries, the ‘ubos kung ubos’ group! It made Jesse’s Team Naga the ‘over rated underdogs’ (if there’s such a thing)! Furthermore, the Opposition Team, seems to have been in so much DISARRAY that they were never really able to cover enough ground and shake enough hands to really make a dent and a palpable difference in a fight against a team of political ‘Goliaths’ armed to the teeth! They were like woozy-eyed ‘Davids’ swinging their slings at shadows not even caring if they hit their mark! I just hope that future ‘contenders’, IF there will indeed still be some forthcoming, learn from this and come really prepared to do battle, and give Team Naga ONE BIG FIGHT!

        In the Congressional fight, despite Cho Roco’s admirable crusade to bring back Political ‘Decency’ (which I, personally, just cannot understand, coming from him); everything just didn’t seem to ‘click’. His was indeed a LONELY struggle. His good friend, Jesse, gave him 2 chances to build a good political MASS BASE and prove himself worthy of the task, but, again, it all boils down to that evangelical saying: “you cannot give what you do not have”! Congressman and future Speaker of the House, Luis R. Villafuerte, ran rings around Mr. Roco and made him realize that Jesse Robredo’s IMPRIMATUR alone just couldn’t do the trick anymore. Had he made a really good and lasting impression during his terms as Mayor and then as Congressman, I guess even his really close friends would’ve gone another mile just to see to it that he goes back to Congress. As it is he really seems not to have been able to have made some LASTING and sincere ‘connections’ and friendships during all those 6 successive years! People have that ‘unforgiving’ talent of remembering the PAST you know.

        In that highly touted ‘Against All Odds’ fight in the First Congressional District, it really seems like GOOD INTENTIONS alone just are not enough to win an election. Abang Mabolo, whose parents are my patients, has always been a really good, highly respected, and straight shooting Municipal Mayor, but going against a fellow Blue Eagle, and a charismatic, humble, and unassuming one at that, like Dato M. Arroyo, was just something else that, perhaps, even Don Quixote wouldn’t have even dared to dream of! Those who had the ‘gumption’ to call the President’s son a ‘Carpetbagger’ just might bite and swallow their own tongues once Dato really gets going and proves to them that having an ‘ADOPTED’ son of Bicol just might be a lot more progressive and beneficial than those born in their own native soil! Furthermore, an ‘adopted’ son is also definitely better than a PAID blabbering ‘hack’! Just like a Jesse Robredo, who, as I have always said, is even MORE FILIPINO than a thousand Filipinos all rolled into one, despite his much ballyhooed Chinese Ancestry (which almost all of us also have)!

        Philippine Politics now seems to be at its lowest and bloodiest ebb. Cheating has been so subtly widespread and well-coordinated that ‘Garci’, if he complains, could now well be the one who will be called a HYPOCRITE! Killings during Elections are not called MURDERS but just ‘politically motivated MORTALITIES’! The incoming Congress just might prove to be another IMPEACHMENT MERRY-GO-ROUND where some Genuine Opposition members will jump ship and switch sides and some Administration die-hards will just content themselves with sitting on the ‘fence’ and watch who’s winning before they decide to pick-up their swords! ‘Sosmaryosep’! And this early everyone seems to be eyeing 2010 and its attendant financial windfall!

        Some very close friends and relatives have started texting and calling, even from as far from abroad, urging me, WITH PLEDGES, in not so few words, to run as an INDEPENDENT in 2010. According to them it’s time for me to jump into Jesse Robredo’s fast and efficient ‘meat grinder’ and come out as another one of his Chinese Meatball trophies! Well, I told them a lot of PEREZ guys are in Robredo’s list, ready, at short notice, to try to cut me into bite size bits and ‘short circuit’ my votes just by also running! Talk about the ‘Politics of Decency’! Of course this is supposed to be a calculated JOKE (whatever that means!). Besides if it weren’t a joke I would be a MARKED MAN and most of the ‘Skeletons’ in my, not so nice smelling, closet will be dug up and ‘AIR DRIED’, compliments of my number one ‘top rated’ ‘fan’! Even most of my waking and not so sober hours will be monitored and recorded or, maybe, I’m just starting to be so PARANOID after reading so many ‘Cosa Nostra’ books!

        Anyway, all’s well that really ends well! Again congrats to all the ‘ubos ubos’ fanatics; hope they will be vigilant enough to watch out for any ‘hanky-panky’ in the EXCLUSIVE Sangunihan ‘Club’, especially now that S.M. will soon be hitting town! That P700 MILLION investment ‘windfall’ might just be too much ‘sauce for the gander’, as well as the ‘goose’!