CHICAGO, Illinois – Rumors of Mayor Inday Sara’s running for president in 2022 elections surfaced anew here where I expect most Americans are least interested of talking about because many of them say that politics are not in their vocabulary for as long as politicians are on their side.
In my frequent visit to ‘Kaibigan’(a Filipino eatery serving most of my favorites back home) at the suburbs of Illinois, about 20 minutes’ drive from my daughter’s high-end residence, mga kababayan who also patronize the place and become acquaintances in just few days of my arrival here ask me if Inday Sara is running for president since many of the administration-backed candidates won based on the partial and unofficial results of the May 13 mid-term elections.
My answer is always yes, but it depends on the presidential daughter. Since Inday Sara, a lawyer, has an independent mind knowing her when she was still in her elementary grades and we were neighbors, 99.99% she is running.
I will leave the remaining 1% for her to decide.
Why I have this bold prediction is because even before the May 13 elections, the name Inday Sara was always the talk of the town especially when no less Sen. Grace Poe who topped the senatorial race then and ran for president but failed, publicly admitted that she is not thinking of the presidency now. The same way other ambitious politicians are saying. With that, Inday Sara may run unopposed.
And also, if I am Inday Sara, why should I not grab the opportunity to run for president when the Duterte’s name resonates with many Filipinos and the position is right there for her on a silver plate?
Nonetheless, I will not make any conclusions on Inday Sara’s political destiny as no less her father, President Duterte, had warned that the presidency could both “educate” and “destroy” her. And as a father to an only daughter, I agree with him.
But to say the least, since she is a daughter to one who kept on saying then that he is not running for president, but ran at the last hour and won, let’s believe the saying that, “ like father, like daughter.”
-o0o-
Finally, the “Erap” magic lost its touch with his adoring fans for the first time in nearly half a century blindly supported him in controlling San Juan politics and expanded it up to Malacanang.
He then returned to local politics after he was impeached as president because of corruption issue and became the two-termer mayor of Manila, until his debacle lately in the hands of his former vice mayor Isko Moreno who grabbed the leadership of city hall Erap wanted to retain.
Now I heard that the actor-turned politician is pondering his family’s political future and wondering what hit him in the recent elections. Almost all his siblings ended up as losers, from granddaughter Vice Mayor Janella Ejercito-Estrada who ran for reelection in San Juan City but lost to former vice mayor Francis Zamora.
Nephew Emilio Ramon ER Ejercito lost to reelectionist governor Ramil Hernandez in Laguna. Ejercito’s son also failed to his mayoralty bid in hometown Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Another nephew, Gary Estrada Ejercito also lost in Cainta, Rizal’s vice mayoralty race against Ace Servillion.
The Estrada patriarch’ sons, reelectionist Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and former senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada are out of the magic 12 in the senatorial race.
Ako, if I am in the shoes of Erap, I will accept my defeat, and continue my life. As senior citizens, our only worry now is the bill collectors.
Your age of 90 something should only be spent with nothing to worry about in your remaining years. Eat the best food you like (forget your doctors’ advice), sleep, and enjoy while still not suffering from dementia.
Just remember the iconic Frank Sinatra song, “And now/ the end is near/ and so I say/the final curtain…” and you will know that our world is like a story with its beginning and the end. It will be taken back from us by the One who lends this to us temporarily when our time comes. So, make use of the remaining years, may it be happy or sad!
Erap, look at me. Who will expect that I will reach this stage where I am in my new world when most of the households around me are electronic robots doing everything to make my daily life comfortable and too exciting?
My only regret? Tinuruan nila akong maging tamad!
While writing this column, Fox News channel reported flash floods that hit State Capital Missouri after the Wednesday tornadoes and back-to-back storms devastated suburban areas.
While my place Illinois is a two-hour flight by plane from Missouri where my granddaughter JJ is residing together with her mom, the weather disturbance there is also affecting us here as it’s raining here since last night. Ang lamig!
