PITY THIS COUNTRY

From eight dedicated men to maybe a hundred supporters who propelled his name into becoming a national figure, Ronald Cardema is enjoying his ride of a lifetime.

Cardema first rose to prominence when he led seven of his friends to disrupt an anti-Duterte rally early into the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. The issue then was about the alleged extrajudicial killings in relation to the deaths that marked the first stages of the government’s war against drugs. He quickly earned praises from Mr. Duterte’s followers for that deed. It was a bold act. Nobody else could have done that except him, a figure who was once maligned and kicked out of the Philippine Military Academy for inviting a coalition with the Left following what he said was the murder of his uncle — an activist —from military guns.

Emboldened by the success of the eight men, Cardema went on to disrupt more anti-Duterte rallies. In one of them, he successfully lured musician-activist Jim Paredes into berating him in public while he kept the most stoic stance of his life.

It paid off. The Duterte Diehard Supporters who trolled the social media made him a hero and Paredes the goat.

The singer who forms one-third of the Apo Hiking Society would later gain soc-med notoriety that forced him into silence, while Cardema had his chance of a lifetime when he was appointed to succeed another artist in Aiza Seguerra as National Youth Commission chairman.

Cardema, however, is a big dreamer.

Not content with seeing his group — the Duterte Youth — grow bigger than eight men, Cardema also eyed a piece of Congress when he registered the same for the partylist polls.

And when victory was imminent, he had all five Duterte Youth nominees (including his wife) withdrawn and he (who else?) replaced them on the 23rd hour of the proclamation of electoral victors.

Maybe Cardema thought he had the President rolling on his palms. But he was wrong.

Cardema was subsequently disqualified by the Commission on Elections. The verdict was that he misrepresented himself as part of the youth force.

The United Nations defines youth as persons between the ages of 15 and 24.

UN statistics are based on this range. This could vary, however, as the UN also recognizes that, without prejudice to other age groups listed by member states, other countries peg their classification of youth as those in the 18 to 30 age group. Cardema does not qualify even in the 18 to 30 classification. He is 34, four years over the 30-year old limit.

The Partylist System Act mandates that representatives of the youth sector must be at least 25 years old, but not more than 30 years old on election day. He failed again. Cardema, however, thought he could play with the law.

Disqualified as a “youth,” he claimed his partylist represents the young urban professionals. Asked by the Comelec about his profession, he could offer none but his recent appointment to the NYC.

The Comelec is now moving to disqualify even the Duterte Youth as a partylist. Cardema had pushed his luck that far.

No, farther even when he called for the President’s help if he would push the impeachment of Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, with whom he picked a tiff and more. Cardema even charged Guanzon of allegedly trying to extort money from him and demanding an appointment as a regional trial court judge. Guanzon laughed off his allegations.

But the Comelec is taking its actions against the Duterte Youth seriously. For one of its officials, Cardema is besmirching the President by using him for his partylist’s name and by dragging the Palace into his scuffle with Guanzon. Malacañang, however, distanced the President from Cardema.

No, he is alone in his fight. President Duterte has nothing to do with him and his partylist.

But Cardema is hogging the limelight well with this latest episode in his life. He is far from the Cardema who once sought leadership tips from Communist Party of the Philippines chief ideologue Jose Maria Sison. He is no longer the leader of an eight-man team of Duterte enforcers. Cardema is now a “trapo” who could mock the laws of the land by himself. And maybe soon we would see him get elected to a government post without the need for a benefactor like what he is doing now. He seems to have learned his lesson well just by watching how others in government work. His tiff with Guanzon is his masteral. A future political sojourn will be his PhD.

Pity the Philippines. We could not seem to get good leaders from our “youth” anymore.

“Malacañang distanced the President from Cardema… No, he is alone in his fight. President Duterte has nothing to do with him and his partylist.

“Nobody else could have done that except him, a figure who was once maligned and kicked out of the Philippine Military Academy for inviting a coalition with the Lef t.