The HnP election juggernaut

THE senatorial and Party-List race has begun and for the Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HnP), the starting point is in vote-rich Pampanga. It is a show of force, a second chapter in the emerging Regional Party that in the first canto of its foray in national politics cut short the term of the third most powerful person in the Philippines. HnP started and nurtured in Davao and on the basis of its basic agenda for genuine change in the government bureaucracy, its network spread like wildfire to the north and central Luzon and now has engulfed nearly the entire country.

Hugpong Ng Pagbabago was forged by political leaders of various party affiliations to have a better and stronger position to secure if not demand support from legislators in the lower and upper chamber including the Executive Department. Headed by the feisty Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio, HnP also agreed to harmonize its development and economic programs so that industries and job opportunities will be dispersed in the entire region and not be concentrated in just one place causing population explosion and traffic congestion.

What we have here is a unique Davao coalition of leaders that transcends political differences. This is not a utopian political frivolity for we see how this cohesion of diverse forces works. A schism between then Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez and HnP chair Mayor Inday Sara started when the former described HnP as an opposition party. That merited a simple asshole retort from the city mayor.

That’s all there was to it. When again Mayor Inday heard of an alleged off-the-cuff statement from Bebot,"Ang sabi mo in a crowd, ‘President iba siya, Speaker ako (You told the crowd, 'He's the President, I'm the Speaker), I can always impeach him!' And you call me opposition? Somebody should tell the President about the truth. Antay ka bukas (Just wait tomorrow), I have another story..." And the exciting episodes fit for prime time TV begun.

Alvarez denied making such remarks. "Hindi ko po sinabi 'yun at hindi ko po maaring sabihin 'yun (I didn't say that and I cannot say that)," he said in a statement.

In the intervening days, Alvarez demonstrated his power as Speaker. He ordered the dismantling of the quarantine checkpoints in Tadeco banana plantations owned by the family of his erstwhile bosom friend and benefactor Tonyboy Floirendo. The Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association had raised the red flag against the spread of fusarium wilt otherwise known as Panama disease that wiped out the entire banana plantations in that country. For Dabawenyos, Alvarez and Tonyboy friendship can do down the drain but to subject the banana industry in peril is another story. The major dollar-earning industry in Mindanao particularly of Davao is the backbone of the regional economy and employs hundreds of thousands excluding the indirect beneficiaries. The stakeholders and industrial leaders did not take that lightly and their political leaders were listening and alarmed by the consequence of that insane act of removing the quarantine stations.

In the days that followed, Mayor Inday doused Alvarez with tongue lashing. The most telling of it all was: “The Philippines will be a better country if Alvarez is not Speaker” and “PRRD will be a stronger President without Alvarez”.

Congressional leaders, who were not happy with what was going on in the Lower House, heard the reverberating sound of fury and before Alvarez can blink the call for his ouster is in the doorstep of the Lower Chamber. The regional leaders touched base with HnP and it did not need a Presidential coaching to jettison a Speaker. Alvarez was ousted in a blitzkrieg that saw former President now incumbent Representative of Pampanga, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo installed as speaker immediately after Pres. Rodrigo Duterte delivered his 3rd State of the Nation Address on July 23, 2018.

Fast forward to current time, Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio had filed her leave of absence to launch and present the HnP-backed senatorial bets in vote-rich Pampanga province, the political bastion of Speaker Gloria M. Arroyo. Emblazoned in the stage is prominent and symbolic logo of Hugpong Ng Pagbabago. Speaker GMA assured the Presidential daughter that Pampanga will deliver a landslide victory for the senatorial slate endorsed by HnP. This includes Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Francis Tolentino, Pia Cayetano, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Zajid Mangudadatu, Jiggy Manicad, Jinggoy Estrada, Koko Pimentel and Bong Revilla.

Davao City Mayor Inday expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming support for HnP bets. Amidst the well-attended kick off rally and festive atmosphere are bellows calling the Mayor as the next President of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the main opposition senatorial slate – Otso Deretso (OD), composed of Bam Aquino, Gary Alejano, Chel Diokno, Samira Gutoc, Pilo Hilbay, Romy Macalintal, Erin Tañada and Mar Roxas took to the campaign trail. Lacking the local support and can hardly muster a visible crowd, OD resorted to what they describe as ‘door-to-door campaign”. Mar Roxas, however, split from the group and did his own campaign sortie, an early symptom of bicker in their ranks. Nancy Binay and Grace Poe went on the separate campaign paths, too. The three obviously do not want to be dragged to perdition by OD bets which this early are referred to as political sinkers.
Come March 29, when the campaign for local bets commences, Mayor Inday Sara will start the juggernaut in her own turf. She and most of her party mates are running unopposed and as she had pledged in every HnP forum in Davao region, that she, alongside a retinue of volunteers, will spend time campaigning in the 1st District of Davao del Norte to push for the candidacy of Anthony del Rosario, the HnP congressional candidate against the ousted Speaker Bebot Alvarez.

Early in their feud, Mayor Inday Sara sent a stinging message to Bebot: “You messed with the wrong girl”.