By Leonardo Micua

 

I am no fan of Deputy House Speaker Rodante Marcoleta but I believe that he did something honorable when he withdrew from the senatorial race after finding that his campaign was not getting anywhere. He had nothing to be ashamed of in the first place.  He tried his best but after a few months in the campaign trail, he realized his chances of getting into the win column is still quite slim.

Marcoleta is only being pragmatic not to finish the race after making a self-examination of his chances and there he found out, he can’t even have a Chinaman’s chance of landing in the magic 12 list.  So what other more compelling reasons can he have if he remains in the race when he is not even in contention for the winning circle.

I’m sure he’s not done yet as a politician. He may have retreated now to enable him to rest for a while with his loved ones and conserve his energy as well as his resources for him to fight another day.

Just like what the British did in World War II when they did not surrender to the Germans but rather evacuated en masse from their last stronghold in Dunkirk, France by whatever sea craft sent by their homeland, vowing to come back and fight another day.

Other candidates should emulate Marcoleta’s example. After assessing they got no chance at all in winning the election, they better call it quits, head home and stop wasting their money.

Many presidential and vice presidential candidates should do a Marcoleta in order to save face. Only hubris and a little bravado are driving them to still stay in the race and not withdrawing. But I am sure, like Deputy Speaker Marcoleta, they, too, know they are getting nowhere in their respective campaigns.

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The recantation of confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinoza that he gave money to then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and her admission that he made false testimonies against the latter because he was coerced into doing it should be enough reason for her cases to be dismissed and her released from jail soon.

With her free, it will enable her to join the homestretch campaign of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan at least in their few remaining sorties to campaign for herself.

De Lima already spent five years in jail because of the charges trumped up against her. Many of those who made false accusation against her, who by the way are shady characters and into drug dealing, have recanted their testimonies one after the other and the others have already died of natural causes while in jail. 

Even various human rights groups overseas believe De Lima should not have been jailed because her accusers are all questionable characters and lack credibility whose testimonies could not stand in the court of law.

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When the campaign is finally over, it is going to be ultimately a fight between Bongbong Marcos and Leni Robredo for the presidency, say many of our readers. They believe that if the  contest between the two would be close as it happened between them in the 2016 vice presidential race, then the undecided votes will seal their fate. Who knows, history might repeat itself and again hand over the victory to Leni.

Marcos is still in the lead less than two weeks before the election while Leni’s trajectory seems unstoppable now with the young voters solidly rallying behind her and are even doing house-to-house and street by street campaign to make her win.

Sorry, but Isko Moreno is still trailing behind the lead pack with Manny Pacquiao behind him and Ping Lacson still trying to catch up.

Based on the sizes of the crowds that attended their respective rallies across the country, Leni and Marcos were about equal in numbers. But when Bongbong again excused himself from attending the debate arranged by Comelec on April 30, the undecided voters could swing in favor of Leni.

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