YPS

*This was written a few weeks prior to Erap being released from his luxurious prison in Tanay. Despite this clear attempt to start buying off the UNO leadership, UNO’s members have still expressed interest in pursuing impeachment. Not only that, Erap’s son still cannot publicly call GMA the legitimate president and Erap looks and sounds like the cat that ate the canary and seems to be barely holding on to the promise that he will not interfere in politics. As each traditional ploy to shore up the presidential position is met with additional implications of other improprieties it seems to me that the Noli option is still a viable last card to be played.

-JPG

Many moons ago, when the move to impeach Gloria rose to a fever pitch, a frightening thought hit our intrepid ousters. Who would replace the President? It was like a reverse version of the lazy barnyard animals being asked to help make the bread from the grains of wheat. Not JDV said the cat! Hes just as bad as the President if not worse! Not Manny V. said the dog (Bakit nga ba not Manny?) I forget what the dog said. And certainly not Ka Noli said the the entire herd. Bobo! Kurakot! Nasa bulsa ni GMA! Huwag is Noli! Huwag si Noli! It was a mad house of dissent and refusal to support the constitutional process. Well as all bad stories end, the nothing happened. GMA made it through the rain ika nga ni Barry Manilow.

Flash forward.

A few months ago, rumors floated that as early as this year, Noli De Castro had been offered 300 million by the President to run for office in 2010. This, the mill declared, was under the premise that Noli protect the President from persecution and prosecution assuming she made it through her term. More likely than not, this amount came with the promise that the Government machinery would be at his disposal " assuring" a sure win. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Just sources. But no proof. And besides, if Ed Panlillo can accept an anonymous 500k whats a paltry 300million if it's a personal gift from a nameless, faceless, person that, like our Pampangga Gov nor anyone else, can remember.

Flash forward to closer to today.

ZTE is now part of every childs alphabet. Cyber Ed is not a new cartoon character on the Disney channel. Miriam will never be able to eat Chinese food again for fear of poisoning from the Cantonese chef. And a badly coiffed Joey de Venecia and a Secretary of dubious sexual orientation is the new hero/goat of Philippine "oppositionists" . The heat is on in the proverbial kitchen. Can GMA stand the heat?

And there lies the deliciousness of being Noli.

Please bear with me.

Should the President decide to step down VOLUNTARILLY from all the dedicated efforts of our do gooders, guess who automatically steps in to take his place. It makes strategic sense for GMA in the cut loss sense of the phrase doesn't it? She gets to get her cake. Eat it. And thumb her nose at those who stood against her and Nolis possible ascension. Any attempts to block Nolis legitimate rise will in turn solidify Nolis lower end support base. And since no one has bothered to investigate the Vice President on anything ( yes we are a nation stricken by strategic tunnel vision) any protest to his rise will result in the damning of our upper and middle class revolutionists. That, really, our oppositionists are not so much oppositionists led by principle but are oppositionists only until one of their kind rise to the top. This in turn will lable any future political action (by our usual friendly suspects) against ANY future president as simple sour graping.

If I were GMA Id go for it. Maybe in a year or two or as soon as she needs to. In one fell swoop she saves herself and cuts the legs of credibility out from under the opposition for many years to come.

Now for that beer.