Early bird

By Al S. Mendoza

THIS EARLY, we see a platoon of Pangasinan’s political animals coveting elective positions in the 2007 elections in May.  Among the most prominent thus far is Rachel Arenas, the daughter of socialite and philanthropist Baby Arenas.

Charming Rachel Arenas wants the post of Rep. Gener Tulagan, who will complete his nine-year reign in the third district of Pangasinan come May next year. How time flies, indeed.  Seems like only yesterday when Pareng Gener, not yet a congressman, would join Boni Sison and I in a drinking spree lasting up to the wee hours of the morning.

       Will Pareng Gener’s son, Joel, gun for his Dad’s post next year? 

Maybe, but Pareng Gener isn’t saying anything. `N’yet.

How  about Rachel Arenas?  Why, she’s all guns ablaze this early in the day.

Judging by her actions the last 12 months or so, it’s obvious that Rachel is bent on running.  You can tell by her words and deeds – public appearances here and there, donations left and right, speaking engagements all over town.

The early bird gets the first worm?

That seems to be Rachel’s battle cry.

Rachel has put her political machinery in motion long before JDV even thought of pushing vigorously for his Cha-Cha.

Already, Rachel has firmly established her own headquarters in Malasiqui to organize her troops for election operations.  And I admire her for that.

She is a living practitioner of the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

But just to clarify. 

Rachel Arenas, for all her savvy and veteran-like political moves, isn’t a political animal.  No, she isn’t your trapo (traditional politician).

For starters, Rachel   is a rookie.  Not even 30 yet, Baby’s babe is a virtual babe in the political woods. Rachel is, to put it the macho way, entering a lion’s den.

No quarters spared. 

No prisoners taken.

Killing is the name of the game.

I wish Rachel Arenas, whom I have yet to meet in person but that’s all right, well.  She’s become a ray of   hope if only because her youthful idealism might yet spark a renaissance in our often deadly political jungle in Pangasinan.

I hope that Rachel, all of beauty and brains (she’s a Harvard alumnus to begin with), will come out of it in one whole piece.

What a shame if she does not.

As to who will be running for governor of Pangasinan to succeed the graduating Gov. Victor Agbayani, I hear that the frontrunners thus far are the strong-willed Bebot Villar of Sto. Tomas (GMA’s personal choice I am told), the energetic Rep. Amado Espino of the second district, the incumbent governor’s wife, the unpredictable Rep. Conrad Estrella of Rosales, the iron-fisted Mayor Jolly Resuello of San Carlos City and, yes, Pareng Gener  Tulagan himself.

It’s still too early to tell who among them will fight it out.  But come the actual electoral skirmish next May, expect a dramatic battle to the end.

Meanwhile, as I always love to say, there is no good and bad candidate. There is only a winner who will turn out to be either a bad or a good leader.

Alas, history tells us that mostly, the harvest is bad.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/)