The joke is not funny
By Al S. Mendoza
THE Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) was formed in 1982 mainly to unseat Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
It was founded basically by the late, lamented Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel together with his fellow nationalists Ninoy Aquino and Lorenzo “Ka Tanny” Tanada, among others.
For years during Marcos’ cruel Martial Law regime from 1972-1986, Pimentel was a fierce critic of the Marcos dictatorship.
For this, Marcos had Nene arrested—like many of our Filipino patriots who were opposed to Marcos’ one-man rule that killed democracy, wiped out practically the entire free media industry and abolished Congress while maintaining a rubber-stamp Supreme Court.
While Ninoy suffered years of hell behind bars at Fort Bonifacio like the late Jose “Pepe” Diokno and many more, Nene agonized under the terrible weight of house arrest.
Of late, Nene’s PDP-Laban absorbed a major blow that saw it getting hijacked by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Koko, Nene’s incumbent senator-son, didn’t take the matter sitting down. But, of course.
As the son of the party founder, it is incumbent upon Koko to fight for his father’s legacy and keep the flame of party principle a-burning.
Recall that Cusi made Sen. Bato dela Rosa as the PDP-Laban’s first bet for president in the May 9 election. (Bato eventually withdrew.)
Koko fielded Manny Pacquiao—but not as a PDP-Laban candidate because the Koko-Cusi rift over party leadership has remained unresolved at Comelec (Commission on Elections).
Even as Pacquiao is PDP-Laban president, the former world boxing champion is running for president under the Promdi party of Cebu.
When will the Comelec settle the dispute over the party’s leadership, nobody knows.
Just very recently, Mrs. Lourdes Pimentel, Nene’s widow, broke her silence after the PDP-Laban (Cusi wing) endorsed Bongbong Marcos, the late dictator’s only son, for president.
In a scathing statement, Mrs. Pimentel called those “who have stolen PDP-Laban as thieves.”
She said the PDP-Laban “was created by the blood and sacrifice of people like opposition senators Nene Pimentel, Ninoy Aquino and Lorenzo Tanada, but it is now being shamelessly used to support the candidacy of a person who does not deserve to be president of our country.”
It is supreme irony, indeed, to see a party that helped shoo away Marcos Sr. out of Malacanang but the same party is now endorsing the dictator’s son’s return to the Palace.
If this is a joke, it isn’t funny.
What if the dude with a faked college diploma proceeds to win?
What if the dude convicted of tax evasion scores an upset?
What if the dude that owes the government P203 billion in estate taxes pulls off a stunner?
We’d end up the world’s laughing stock. Siyet.
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