James Freeman Clarke
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- When Gibo Teodoro, one of the best presidents the Philippines never had, failed to win the presidency in the 2010 elections, pundits attributed his defeat to his association with then President Gloria Arroyo, who endorsed his candidacy as Lakas-CMD's official candidate.
They called the endorsement as the "kiss of death", an expression that means the end of something or "malas" (bad luck).
No matter how qualified and competent a candidate may be, "kiss of death" will send his chances of winning on death throes.
Thus when candidates for elective posts seek the endorsement of political behemoths, they see to it that the endorsers enjoy a colossal public acceptability rating or popularity and are not tainted by accusations of thievery.
Or suffer Gibo's fate.
SURVEYS
In the 1992 presidential elections, the name Fidel V. Ramos or FVR was nowhere to be found in the top three leading candidates in various independent surveys.
The top three in the surveys were Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Danding Cojuangco and Ramon Mitra.
Mitra, Cojuangco, and FVR were very dear to then President Cory Aquino. Three was a crowd.
"Who will the fountain bless?," asked the oddsmakers.
When Tita Cory endorsed FVR, the former EDSA Revolution hero did not only surpass his rivals that included Jovito Salonga and Imelda Marcos, he won the presidential race by the skin of the teeth (although Miriam cried "we wuz robbed") .
We call Tita Cory's endorsement of FVR as the "kiss of life."
BLESSING
If not for Tita Cory's blessings, FVR couldn't have made that big leap (from consistently No. 5 to 7 in the surveys to victory).
Despite being ridiculed as "weakling" and "indecisive", it is to Mar Roxas' credit that he has the full support of President Noynoy Aquino.
Like FVR in 1992, surveys have not been so kind to the son of Capiz, whose only fault is he is married to Korina Sanchez.
Of all the past four presidents, however, President Nonoy Aquino enjoys the highest public acceptability rating, according to the most recent surveys.
His name has not been tainted with graft and corruption, unlike FVR's Amari deal scam, Erap's jueteng imbroglio, and Gloria's ZTE bribery and "Hello Garci" tumult, among other humiliations.
Joe De Venecia, on the other hand, was his own "kiss of death".
When President FVR endorsed him for president in 1998 against Erap, the former House speaker had his own "Joe De Behest Loan" scandal.
POPULAR
Against a popular movie actor who had a mind-boggling mass appeal, non-showbiz and dreary traditional politician De Venecia was already politically dead even before FVR's endorsement.
Aside from President Noynoy Aquino's endorsement, Roxas, as a former interior and local government secretary, also enjoys logistical support from the government (this is prohibited by law, but as the saying goes, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat).
Shellacked and battered in the surveys, the Liberal Party's Roxas and Leni Robredo tandem is still considered to be the force to reckon with.
Under the combined mighty forces of Senate President Frank Drilon, House Speaker Sony Belmonte and the DILG to boot, most governors, mayors, councilors and board members down to the village chiefs have started mobilizing their forces and stretching their muscles in every nook and cranny nationwide.
Plus, President Noynoy Aquino's "kiss of life".
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