Elect any of them, extend our national misery

MINUS the brouhaha over leading presidential candidate, former Sen. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong/BBM’ Marcos’ refusal to join GMA-7’s live “presidential debate” last January 22, 2022, the event, nevertheless, is a revelation of where our country would be headed should any of those who participated—Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Sen. Emmanueal ‘Manny’ Pacquiao—gets elected as president.

There were many questions and issues raised during the episode, as expected, but the one question that alarmed Pinoy Exposé, and many other genuine peace advocates in the country, is when all of the four presidential wannabes readily answered “YES” to the question, ‘Will you continue the peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF (‘Ipagpapatuloy mo ba ang peace talks sa mga CPP-NPA-NDF?)’

To our mind, such is the standard reply of any “trapo” in our political landscape and of those who really do not know what they are talking about—with due respect to their individual IQs and presumed expertise.

In one of his regular public addresses, Pres. Duterte said that the two most serious present threats to our national security are the still lingering COVID-19 pandemic and the continued existence of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

And we agree with the observation. Indeed, on balance, we can see that the pandemic, while disruptive and deadly, is a very recent phenomenon; we are dealing with the national “pestilence” that is the CPP for some 54 years now—and still with no end in sight.

Their reply is, of course, “music” to the ears of the terrorists, especially, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, and his gangmates who are all luxury ensconced in the safety of The Netherlands.

To our mind, if there is any measure of how shallow the experience and insight on issues of these would-be leaders are, it is their response to that question.

And this bodes bad for our nation as it means that despite any of them being in public service for so long, none of them really understand what the CPP “insurgency” is all about and how it would play out in the end—most of us, them included, hanging in every available lamp post as soon as the CPP takes power.

We can expect that should any of the four wins, the CPP, which is already on its death throes, would see a revival of its fortune, another leash on life for the next 6 years of a presidential term. For it can be assured that the CPP would make sure that the length of the peace talk would be “co-terminus” to the length of term of the next president.

And of course, the CPP would “demand” that as a ‘confidence-building measure,’ the next administration, under any of the four, must release all their captured leaders and put a stop to military operations as a condition for a “national ceasefire.” We can expect them to cover these intentions with a demand for the next administration to make a “patriotic stand” against China.

But have we not seen all these ‘preconditions’ and heard all these CPP statements before?

Since Pres. Marcos was ousted in 1986 by a conspiracy of the CPP, the political opposition and the US government, we got stuck and left behind by our neighbors because our next leaders after Marcos were also stuck with the fallacy that only a peace talk– with those who never wanted peace to begin with—is the road to a genuine and lasting peace.

Thus, instead of cheering for any of the four—Lacson, Pacquiao, Moreno and Robredo—right minded Filipinos should be concerned, be very, very much concerned.

Voting for any of them as president would mean extending our national underdevelopment and national misery caused by the CPP for another 6 years.

And yes, it is a good thing that BBM did not join that debate.