The Philippine Online Chronicles

The canvassing of votes in the historic first automated election is nearing completion, with more than 80 percent canvassed already. Now that the picture becomes much clearer, it is safe to surmise, at least for me, that we will have a Noynoy Aquino and Jejomar Binay administration.

Those leading in the senatorial race are Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Ferdinand "Bong-Bong" Marcos Jr., Franklin Drilon, Juan Ponce Enrile, Pia Cayetano, Tito Sotto, Ralph Recto, and Serge Osmena, and it's a toss-up for the last two slots between Lito Lapid, TG Guingona, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Ruffy Biazon.

We could see from the senatorial race trends that those who garnered the top votes are incumbents, not only from the present Congress but from past Congresses also, running for re-election (for example: Drilon, Osmena, Sotto, and Recto).

Congress is set to convene in joint session to canvass the votes and proclaim the country's next President and Vice President on May 31. Up until now, there are still no rules on the canvassing, since they haven’t convened Congress yet. Also there has been a looming question of whether or not there will be a possible change in Congress leaderships, in both houses. Let us wait and see.

The Filipino People

If you would ask and analyze everything, majority of the Filipino people would vote for someone whom they voted and placed into power before, regardless of whether or not they have actually done or contributed something positive or great for the Filipino people or for the country, in relation to their official work.

We wanted change, but the Filipino people stuck it out with popularity and went for those who had name recall or those whom they saw often in commercials or in the news, or TV. They went with the old and "experienced," whichever way you want to define the word, I guess.

My question therefore is: When will be the time that others, who are both as capable and qualified, may join in this race? My friend quipped that besides having a Bachelor degree in Public Administration, International Studies, something similar, or even Law, you have to be either someone with entertainment background or someone coming from a political clan first, before you can be elected as a senator or a public official.

The Executive

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s term will expire June 30, 2010 at exactly 12:00 noon, the inauguration date of the new president-elect of the Republic of the Philippines, Senator Noynoy Aquino.

At present, she is the first outgoing Philippine president to take a seat in the House of Representatives, where she, winning with a big margin over her rival Liberal Party’s Adonis Simpao, will serve as Congresswoman for the 2^nd District of Pampanga.

Meanwhile, Presidential candidates Manny Villar, Richard Gordon, JC delos Reyes, Gilbert Teodoro, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, and Jamby Madrigal have already congratulated Noynoy Aquino, and conceded their defeat to the scoreboard leader in the Presidential race.

The Legislative

After Senator Noynoy Aquino wins the Presidency, there will just be 11 left in the Senate who will serve their term as Senators until 2013. These Senators include Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Kiko Pangilinan, Sonny Trillanes, Manny Villar, and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Senator Manny Villar and Senator Loren Legarda will rejoin their colleagues after losing their Presidential and Vice-Presidential bids, respectively. Senator Sonny Trillanes is still in prison, while Senator Panfilo Lacson is still nowhere to be found.

The Senators whose term will end this year are Mar Roxas, Ramon Revilla*, Nene Pimentel, Jamby Madrigal, Dick Gordon, Pia Cayetano*, Miriam Defensor Santiago*, Juan Ponce Enrile*, Jinggoy Estrada*, Lito Lapid* and Rodolfo Biazon. Those in asterisk are those who ran for re-election and, are more or less sure to go back to the Senate, considering their ranking in the polls as of now.

It is a whole different scenario at the House of Representatives, or is it? Joining Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are controversial characters both in politics and showbiz alike. These soon-to-be-proclaimed individuals (some, already proclaimed) include former First Lady Imelda Marcos, boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, former Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Lani Mercado, former San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, and Gina de Venecia, among others.

The Judiciary

The term of Chief Justice Reynato Puno will expire on his retirement on May 17, 2010, but before the next president proclaimed could do so, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decided today to name Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Corona to replace Chief Justice Reynato Puno when he retires next week.

Section 15 Article VII of the 1987 Constitution prohibits the incumbent president from making appointments two months before an election and until his or her term expires. “Applied this year, the election ban started on March 10 and will last until the end of President Arroyo’s term on June 30,” according to reports from the Inquirer.

Presidential candidate Senator Noynoy Aquino, who would likely succeed Arroyo, said in a press release, “Is it too much to ask President Arroyo to not add another problem for the next administration to inherit?" He adds, “Her appointment of a Chief Justice in waiting is at the very least inappropriate. Chief Justice Puno’s term has not ended. There is no vacancy to be filled.”

By the time Renato Corona takes his place as Chief Justice, all of the justices in the Supreme Court will be GMA appointees.

Speculations and Hearsays

There have been speculations that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has already played her pieces well and is a few steps forward, or even more steps forward, than all of us think.

Yes, she ran for Congress, for whatever reason she says. Her family members and allies also did the same. She somehow has power or a little bit of influence in the Supreme Court, at least in the first few months or year.

They say that she still is set on changing the Constitution and on being Prime Minister. But first she has to gain the support of so many people; maybe the first step is to gain Speakership of the House. Arroyo vs. Belmonte in the House, perhaps? What do you think?

Meanwhile, Manny Villar can still become the Senate President, but he has to win over the group of Enrile, et al. I don’t know how that will go.

That may be true, but we cannot know until all these alleged plans have all played out and become as real as we feared. Until then, they remain speculations and hearsay.

At the end of the day, I think that the Filipino people will make her accountable for whatever she has done or didn't do during her nine-year term as President of the Philippines.

Photo: “PPCRV offices” by Carlo Ople , c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.