Who is the American boy? – The Manila Times

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Space limitation prompts this piece to fast-forward to the snap elections in 1986. In the first place, those elections were out of context. President Marcos was ensconced in power, and he still had one year of his constitutional term to stay unperturbed. But, for some reason, Corazon C. Aquino had been itching to sit in Malacaang since Ninoy Aquino executed his virtual euthanasia in 1983, and come 1986, Cory's consuming passion to be president found perfect confluence with the United States' need to parry off Marcos' additional rental increase for American military bases in the Philippines. The gambit America thought was to bait Marcos to agree to a snap election just so Cory's incessant agitation for his ouster would stop. Marcos knew he got the numbers, and indeed, we were all witness that he was proclaimed winner by the Batasan, the agency mandated by the Constitution to do election counting and proclaiming the winner. But Cory would not agree to this; even rejecting Philip Habib's idea of her sharing power with Marcos. Faced with Cory's intransigence, Habib told her (as quoted to me by now Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin): "You will win." So, side by side with the constitutionally mandated election count and proclamation, took place the US-instigated Namfrel count, which saw the dozen or so lady canvassers all walking out, crying cheating. And thus did start the dastardly machination of America to rob Marcos of election victory through the so-called Edsa People Power Revolt and install Cory as President.

Now, we are into the last stretch of the 2022 race. Bongbong Marcos is perceived by all surveys as the landslide winner, with Leni registering a rating way below Bongbong's mark. The big question is: Is Bongbong the American boy? If he is, then no problem. But if he is not, judging from America's history of intervention in the country's national contests, then Bongbong's lead over Leni would not matter any. In the end, he will lose. But the next question is: Lose to whom? Leni? But would America support a candidate who is currently exposed as having strange bedfellows relationship with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic (CPP-NPA-NDF). Unless America is also underhandedly in cahoots with the insurgent group, which it in fact has labeled terrorists, then Leni should also be a no-no for the US. Who, then? One among the three that held the celebrated news conference a week ago: Isko Moreno, Ping Lacson and Bert Gonzales? I was actually looking for Senator Manny Pacquiao. Not that I like the guy. It's just that I remember his former promoter Bob Arum who ten years ago, at the Pacman's capture of one of his boxing crowns, proclaimed cocksure: "Mark this guy. In 10 years he will be president of the Philippines." In 2016, the boxing champ was invited to the White House by President Obama for whatever they talked about. Finally, in the heat of the current Malacaang race, of all the candidates in the running, Pacquiao is the only one summoned by the US Embassy to elaborate on his program of government. I am not saying anything. I am just looking.

Oh, yes, in his not so lucid elaboration on his independent foreign policy ("being friends to every nation"), he stated emphatically: "My best friend is America."

Erratum

In my column last Saturday, the eleventh paragraph should read: "Lopez, taking the prompting from his aides, finally answered, "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas..."

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Who is the American boy? - The Manila Times