With its national officials squabbling and blaming each other for the series of defections by key provincial leaders, the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD is seen as a house ready to melt from the extreme pressures of trying to win the May 10 elections.

However, renowned political analyst Dr. Clarita Carlos believes the administration party may still retain its position as the strongest and most influential political party in the country if it is able to overcome the bandwagon effect of poll survey ratings on the candidacies of presidential bets Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of Liberal Party and Sen. Manuel Villar of Nacionalista Party and make its standard bearer, Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. win.

Teodoro’s lagging behind his opposition rivals in two of the more popular poll surveys – the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia - has been traced to three reasons: His alliance with widely disliked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; his belated moves in advertising his willingness to run and lack of money (a Villar advantage) and lack of popularity (an Aquino advantage because of his martyred parents).

Carlos added another: The multi-party system that has quite become a plague in the country’s political system.

Despite its many disadvantages, nobody seemed interested to cure it via constitutional amendment.
Carlos explained that under a multi-party system the public has become attracted to the personalities running for an elective post instead of the programs and political ideologies offered by their parties.

Ed M. Malay, director of The Issues and Advocacy Center, shares Carlos’ observation as he noted that politics in the country has become a “buyers market” as a result of multi-party system.
Malay said loyalty to the party and its principles wasn buried when the 1987 Constitution came into effect.

“Unlike today when anybody can change loyalties even a day before the elections, before nobody transfers political affiliation after the party convention to nominate national candidates has taken place,” he said.

A multi-party system, Malay said, does not fit a presidential form of government because everybody gravitates to the head of state as soon as the election smoke is cleared.

“That’s what I call supermarket politics. Parang shampoo, napakaraming produkto, kaya pipiliin na lamang iyong pinaka-popular and mas kilala,” Malay, a former journalist, noted.

In the case of the ruling LKC, the multi-party system has triggered many defections in the local level.

“This is the reason why Lakas national candidates should not rely mainly on their local bets for support. Another layer of local leaders should have been formed,” he explained.

But while the multi-party system may be bane for Teodoro and his team of national candidates, it is boom for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her bid to become the next Speaker.

During her presidency, Arroyo was able to plot and carry out schemes for self preservation by using her vast powers and influence as president.