Bongbong is coming back with Johnny Enrilein tow

I hate to be a killjoy but whoever will be victorious in the forthcoming May presidential elections he or she will not reshape the political landscape in the country. Also a bit of advice to these brilliant candidates the likes of Ka Leody De Guzman, Norberto Gonzales and Ernesto Abella, make your exit now. Like Don Quixote you are fighting a windmill. By the looks of it there’s no way you can be the next tenant of Malacanang. It takes more than guts to be in a presidential hustings. Aside from name recall and money, a well oiled national organization is a must.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is correct when she said getting residence on the palace by the Pasig river has the imprimatur of Heaven. I remember she run for senator when 24 members were needed to occupy the upper house. She placed 13th and has to seek re-election after three years unlike the first twelve. In the succeeding elections she top the senatorial race and people took notice. If she was in the first twelve it could have been a different story. Noynoy Aquino’s story is different. Supposedly it was Mar Roxas who should be the Liberal Party’s standard bearer, but move aside for Noynoy when mom Tita Cory died. The rest is history.

This is another story which is deserving to be retold.Let us recall who was Ninoy Aquino.He was the youngest elected mayor of his hometown In Concepcion, Tarlac. He was elected the youngest governor of his province. He was covering for the old Manila Times the Korean War in 1951. He was one of the best known speakers. In short in his time he was the most exciting and controversial political figure that came into the political scene in the country.

First, here is one of the memorable jokes of Ninoy Aquino, who could have been the best or the worst president the Philippines , if only fate had not intervened.And that will depend which side you are on. He was addressing a crowd in one function hall in Los Angeles, USA. Here is his joke: ' Nagpasyal daw si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos sa National Mental Hospital at nagtalumpati siya doon. Kada minuto daw habang nagsasalita si Marcos sinasalubong siya ng masigabong palakpakan ng crowd. Noong pagkatapos ng kaniyang talumpati, tinanong ang direktor ng ospital: Bakit napansin ko iyong isang nakaupo sa third row lahat pumapalakpak, bukod na lang siya at ni hindi nangingiti? Sagot daw ng direktor: Mr. President magaling na po kasi siya at lalabas na siya bukas.

Ninoy,the would-be president of the Philippines hadn't President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in September 21, 1972 was enjoying his freedom in the United States with his family whom he have missed for many years due to his incarceration. He lived a peaceful life in Boston, Massachuset with wife Cory and their children. He was a sought after lecturer in some universities in the United States. He often received media and political friends in his Boston residence and got updated what was the latest about Marcos and the country under the dictator's rule.

And in August 21, 1983 he decided to return to the Philippines after receiving the news that the dictator was very sick and may expire anyday. Ninoy was forewarned that if Marcos will die and he was not in the Philippines he will lose his chance to suceed the ailing dictator. So he packed his bags and accompanied by foreign media on his way back home. But he returned from exile only to be killed at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, now Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), renamed after him. That gunshot that felled Ninoy was heard all over the world, and public outrage was the response of the people.

Numerous demonstrations coming from the ranks of student activists and civil soceity groups became constant. Civil society, progressive students and various organizations rose in unison against the repressive regime. But the Marcos administration ignored the clear messages the rallies were sending. And aside from the police actions initiated by the minions of Marcos in the police and military organizations against the activists, the whole propaganda machine of the governmented painted a picture of stability. Which was not so.

It was not until in February 1986 when two of his men, then Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and AFP Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos turned their backs against him and the EDSA people power followed. The rest is history. The Aquinos got more than what Ninoy could wish for. The housewife, Corazon Cojuangco and only son Noynoy became presidents of our country. A brother, Agapito and a sister, Tessie became senators. And his youngest daughter became a celebrity. To complete the narrative, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. aka Bongbong is coming back and Juan Ponce Enrile in tow.