Our typhoon-battered economy will get a much needed boost with the expected increase in Holiday spending. Everybody looks forward to the Yuletide season as it changes our outlook to a more positive one. Despite the financial crisis, there is no stopping Christmas shopping. Some people have actually started buying what’s on their Christmas list to avoid the rush. 

This appears not to be so in the political scene. No one of the so-called “presidentiables” has officially filed his/her certificate of candidacy. It seems to me that they are waiting for the last day of filing. And with only 23 days to go before the deadline, domestic politics is heating up and shifting to a higher gear.

I am referring to the confession of Congressman Danilo Suarez.

Sweeping across the country right now is the possibility that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may likely continue residing at the Palace by the River beyond June 30, 2010. Congressman Suarez virtually spilled this over the weekend when he floated the idea that the current Revered Resident of the Palace by the River may be considered as the vice presidential bet of the ruling party, Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

And so it appears that the idea of her seeking a congressional seat in her hometown Lubao, Pampanga was just a smokescreen, a ploy.

The Suarez declaration shook denizens in politics to the core. If this happens, vice presidential candidates Senators Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas may have to go back to the drawing board and revise their strategy, taking into consideration the strength of this overwhelming opponent.  

EDSA 2 remembered

As had been said by Palace spin doctors as well as constitutional analysts and legal luminaries, Mrs. Arroyo could run again for another elective position, except for the presidency. There is no provision in the 1987 Constitution that prevents an incumbent president from seeking an even lower electoral post. Though legally, such development can be quite unsettling. My imagination went wild. The scenario that played on my mind was a bit gruesome and intense.

I am not a clairvoyant but one alarming thing that I foresee is chaos. Uncertainty and power struggle could dominate the political arena next year and this will also depend on whoever wins in the presidential race. Be it Lakas-Kampi-CMD anointed Defense Secretary Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro; the little lost boy Senator Chiz Escudero; Senator Manny Villar, the man oozing with resources; and former Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane.

Being number 2 is a notch closer to number 1. It takes us back to EDSA 2, a virtual reminder of the same route Mrs. Arroyo navigated in 2001.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez was quoted as saying that whatever the decision of the President will be, there is no question that she has shown her mettle in public service not only as Chief Executive but also as former vice president and senator.

I do not cast doubt on the ability of the President. I’ve seen her work especially offshore. She follows a very grueling schedule. She likewise captivates some of her peers — the heads of other countries. And more importantly, she understands business and the economy, two topics that are dear to me.

Amidst all these widespread speculations, the Revered Resident of the Palace by the River is mum about her political plans after 2010. The key question here is: Will she really take this course of action?

For me, the deafening silence is a bit worrisome.

In the meantime, we will wait.

This just in: What’s this I heard that the President who is scheduled to attend APEC this coming weekend in Singapore, will again pack her bag early December to attend a conference on climate change in Copenhagen?

‘Til our next filibustering.

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