Antonio C. Abaya - Looking for Mr. Goodbar

The parameters for the May 2010 presidential elections have become increasingly clear in the past several weeks (and day).

Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party have become an official pair. Joseph Estrada and Jejomar Binay are another official pair, for the Partido ng Masang Pilipino or whatever.

But Vice-President Noli de Castro, and Senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero, and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro are still without running mates, and are cruising the various pick-up joints, looking for Mr. Goodbar, so to speak.

My sense is that VP Noli de Castro may not declare for 2010, because the Lopezes, to whom he owes everything, including his soul, may not want him to draw votes away from Noynoy and Mar.

The sudden announcement of Sen. Escudero, as I write this, resigning from the party of Danding Cojuangco, narrows the field even more for May 2010.

His surprise move is dictated by practical considerations. He has slid to a poor number 4 (after Noynoy, Villar and Estrada) in public opinion polls. He also does not seem to have the financial support of Danding Cojuangco, the "owner" of the NPC, who will likely support his nephew instead, the apparent leading contender, Noynoy.

So Escudero's spurning of the NPC is a tit for tat, which manifests its bitterness in the "bugger the rich" tone of his resignation announcement, practically intoning an atypical class war against his erstwhile billionaire backer.

He has postponed by a few more days an announcement as to whether he will pursue a run for the presidency in May 2010. My sense is, without the megabucks of Danding and with a sliding rating in the presidential polls, Escudero may postpone his run for the presidency till 2016.

He will be only 46 years old by that year. Having a adopted a bugger-the rich political line, he will certainly not partner with the self-made billionaire Manny Villar, who at any rate does not like him. Nor with the scion of the feudal hacendero clan of Tarlac, Gilbert Teodoro, who in addition is the anointed candidate of Gloria Arroyo, the object of Escudero's many monotonic diatribes. And he seems to have had a falling out with his long-standing sidekick, Loren.

Escudero may be aspiring to take the place of the fading icon of the squealing masa, Joseph Estrada, Erap para sa Mahirap, in 2016. What would his slogan be? "Teodoro o Escudero? Inidoro para sa mga hacendero!" "Chiz para sa mga chismoso?" What a glorious class war this is going to be!

After scratching out Noli de Castro and Chiz Escudero, the remaining unpaired presidential contenders are down to Manny Villar, Gilbert Teodoro and Loren Legarda.

Legarda last month signified that she was willing to slide down to the vice-presidential race. But with whom? Initially, Loren announced that she was being courted by five presidential hopefuls. Then that list was pared down to three: Villar, Escudero, Teodoro.

But if Escudero pulls out of 2010, Loren, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" personified, would have to choose, or be chosen, by either Villar or Teodoro, assuming their wives do not feel threatened by the beautiful and unattached Loren.

(If, for any reason, Loren cannot find Mr. Goodbar in time for 2010. I would like to volunteer my disposable self, assuming my loyal seatmate in Church weddings and funerals will not feel threatened.

(This would not be the first time. During the run-up to the 1992 presidential elections, because of an unexpected internal problem in her organization, I was asked â€“ and I reluctantly agreed â€“ to be the vice-presidential running mate of Candidate Miriam Defensor- Santiago. Fortunately or unfortunately, that internal problem was resolved within 24 hours, and I was allowed to return to my usual dimly lit corner behind the curtains. Thus began and ended my brief career in politics.)

Of more intriguing importance would be the sudden withdrawal of Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who had announced his availability for the Lakas-Kampi (PaLaKa) vice-presidential slot sometime last May. Puno was the founding chair of Kampi and almost single-handedly built that Party to be Gloria Arroyo's vehicle for becoming Prime Minister after her presidential term ends in June 2010.

But apparently jolted by revelations from a reader of this column that, supposedly according to Puno's relatives, Puno has a "devious plan" â€“ details not revealed â€“ for becoming president, Puno became the object of intrigues by Palace insiders led by Executive Secretary Edgardo Ermita, who tried to remove him from his DILG position last July while Puno was in the US.

Puno was able to keep his DILG post, but was apparently forced to abandon his vice-presidential ambitions this month, even after the issuance of mutual admiration statements from Teodoro and himself that they were happy to be the PaLaKa team for 2010. For giving up his VP run, Puno gave the unconvincing reason that he wanted to devote his time to helping the flood and landslide victims of Ondoy and Pepeng.

Until ultimately proven wrong by the turn of events, I would not count him out. I actually consider Puno the darkest dark horse for 2010. *****

BEST WISHES AND CONGRATULATIONS to Korina and Mar who, after each looking for Mr. Goodbar in different directions, have apparently finally found it in each other. What a lovely couple they made yesterday at Sto. Domingo Church.

For a while, because the wedding ceremony started more than an hour late, there were speculations on what dire headlines would greet us the next day...

But Love conquered all, and smiling angels fluttered down from the heavens, which I would have missed were it not for the frequent jabs with her elbow from my seatmate Marla to wake me up, as she had done at the Manila Cathedral last August during the funeral Mass for President Cory.

Blessed are they who sleep during church services for they shall dream of God. *****

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