Mar and Noy

The fortunes of war, one that has yet to start, came rather harsh for Mar Roxas.
Roxas, never the frontrunner in the presidential race of next year but hopeful still even after Cory’s death, was felled by a sniper shot from his own party, the Liberals who took their name too seriously to drop their standard bearer in an effort to change horses in midstream, and disregarded the gains Roxas had earned, since the day he dreamed of becoming Philippine president, like his grandfather was, only that he would never be.
Cory’s death changed all that, although it was not the late president’s fault but by those she left behind, including Cory’s friends and relatives who saw an opportunity to regain the power they lost since she gave everything to one Fidel Ramos, who never became the kind of president she had envisioned him to become, and yet the chance beckoned, one that was for Noynoy, Benigno and Corazon’s only son, and the only one to carry on the vestiges of two great families that lent their names to make this nation great, only that Noynoy had never shown that greatness—not yet—but lived his life as just a shadow of his father and mother, on whose names his ambition, in case he would really desire to seek the presidency, are hinged.
Cory’s death, however, was like the fulcrum that lifted Noynoy’s name above that of Mar, and everything became obvious when the call for him to become the Liberal Party’s standard bearer gained ground, a call that was too fast to stop when it already snowballed, it hurtled past Roxas’ pedicab like a bullet train on a clear day, Roxas had to tell his driver: “Stop, I’m good until here.”
Roxas’ decision to turn his back on his and his family’s dream of sending another scion to Malacanang was one that was hard to make. But it was also the easiest exit route for Roxas, who, it seemed, could no longer gain ground in surveys, he was overtaken by events that came after Cory’s death, and was trampled by the mob which sought a new leader to carry the Liberals’ flag to that side of the Pasig river.
Noynoy has become the hottest item in Philippine politics so far. After Roxas, priest/ politician or politician/ priest Ed Panlilio, the Pampanga governor who had also initially wanted to become president, had thrown his support to Noynoy, like it would provide him with enough votes to ensure and assure victory, although on surface and in deep analysis, they are only speaking of votes from one side of Pampanga and Tarlac, the same votes Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is wooing, through her frequent visits and the largesse she gives to their local leaders, who would be the only ones rejoicing when another Pampango bet makes it to the presidency.
Roxas, whose stake would have been supported by the Southern votes, those from Cebu and elsewhere, whose people have been clamoring for another Visayan or even a Mindanaoan president, however, was left to sulk with his own statement of support to Noynoy, wherever history and the so-called Cory magic would take him, yet in reality and in fact, he had left his own supporters sulking more, as they have staked their own wealth and time for him to become president.
They are left in the dark as to what will happen next, and not even Noynoy’s prayers could assure to galvanize his team with those of Roxas, a bad sign given the limited time there is for Noynoy to prepare, the chance for him to suffer the same fate that befell Roxas, that of seeing himself becoming victim of moment and juncture when other probable candidates would seize control of events and not ride on whatever magic there is.
Cory magic had worked once. They say it’s Kris Aquino’s magic which will work now.
Roxas, whether he admits it or not, had his own magic in Korina Sanchez, yet he had no control of the events, he had failed to seize them in his favor.
Yet with eight months before D-Day, Noynoy has to work them double-time to gain where Roxas had left, and even with Kris around that would be harder to convince people to transform their sympathy to the Cojuangco and Aquino families over Cory’s death into votes.
Getting votes are a different story than convincing us to flash the Laban sign in respect to our departed president. That is for sure.