Mar Roxas offer to Grace Poe to ‘unite’ against Duterte backfires badly!

mar_roxas

Such a bald act of desperation! Mar Roxas’s idea of reaching out to rival Grace Poe in these presidential elections is to issue a veiled request for her to back down from the race for the sake of “unity”. Roxas, of course, has consistently trailed Poe in various credible surveys. So it does not make sense that the outcome of a team up to “save the country from a [Rodrigo] Duterte presidency” would involve Poe quitting the elections.

What is worse is the way Roxas’s minions kicked into action within minutes of Poe declining the offer. Manuel L Quezon III who is a member of the Malacanang communications team immediately tweeted

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY!
Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us.
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider!
Learn more

Grace Poe says NO to calls for unity vs dictatorship…

…as if (1) Poe’s decline was meant to be a refusal to a proposition to “save” the Philippines and that (2) a Duterte presidency would necessarily be a dictatorship.

That Quezon, the Noted One no less, would be so quick to make a statement on the back of two flawed assumptions in an attempt to shed a bad light on Poe is just plain un-classy. It, instead, casts light upon the reality that the two “men” behind the Liberal Party’s ill-fated effort to remain in power past 2016 are nothing but a couple of spoiled brats. Roxas, as we know, is the son of illustrious parents just like his boss current President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III is the golden boy of revered “heroes” Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino.

Spoiled brats, after all, are used to making “requests” that are expected to be accepted. It is hardly surprising then that Roxas’s ill-conceived tactical move badly backfired. He and his camp went down the easy but presumptuous path and failed to map out a Plan B (i.e., in the event Poe declined — which she did!). Were they really that dumb to actually think that a candidate well ahead of them in the polls would accede to such an offer?

It does seem so, although desperate times breed desperate acts. Roxas’s offer to Poe was easy to refuse. As Poe herself maintained, there really is nothing to discuss. There was nothing in it for her, nothing that Roxas could offer other than the lame fear mongering that Duterte’s rise to power would necessarily lead to the very death of the Philippine nation.

Roxas and his campaign team, once again, seriously misread the situation. Duterte is on his way to becoming President of the Philippines. He got to this point on the back of broad-based public dissatisfaction (at worst, disgust) with the way President BS Aquino’s administration (of which Roxas was a key part of) performed. This is something Roxas cannot fix this time.

For that matter, why be scared of a Duterte presidency? Rather than be scared, Filipinos should be excited. Duterte is different, unprecedented, and an outsider and, being so, will likely see the Philippines’ situation through a lens vastly different to the one Imperial Manila’s traditional politicians have been peering through for decades. The alternative is to vote back into office the sons and daughters of traditional oligarchs and then foolishly expect change.

31 Replies to “Mar Roxas offer to Grace Poe to ‘unite’ against Duterte backfires badly!”

  1. This is another mishandling of an already
    Bad situation of Mar Roxas and Pres. Pnoy ..
    and the Liberal Party as a whole. Their acts of desperation .
    What a shame !!! No way Mar/ Leni…

  2. If that moron was so concerned for the country why doesn’t he just step down and support Poe? What a total jackass.

    1. Exactly! There is a better chance of Mar supporters switching to Poe than Poe supporters switching to Mar. Many Poe supporters pick Digong as their second choice, but I cant imagine Mar supporters ever voting for Digong. So the logical choice would be for Mar to step down and support Poe. But of course they wouldnt do that. They’re not really scared that the Filipino people will be brought under a dictatorship, they’re scared they’ll finally lose their power.

  3. Well, cheating is easier if you’re second place. It is just objective to think to topple who is second. But yeah, no plan B. There continues the awkward series of events for Secretary Mar.

  4. It was the same tactic and situation here in the U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was being defeated by Donald Trump, in the Republican Primary election. Sen. Cruz, offered Gov. Kasich of Ohio, a rival; for unity against Donald Trump.
    Kasich accepted.

    Sen. Cruz, went down in the State of Indiana primary. Donald Trump defeated him, at a large margin. So, Cruz dropped out. Next , Kasich, Cruz buddy, who united with him, went down also. So, both were defeated. Donald Trump of the Republican Party is now the presumptive nominee to face, Sec. Hilary Clinton of the Democrat Party…

    So, unity never works. It is an act of desperation. Poe and Roxas will both go down.

    It is like a swimmer, that is being drowned. If he/she can got hold of you; you will both be drowned…Grace Poe is wise, to say no…

  5. What if they tell Roxas to drop out and support Poe. She is open to that. She said, if someone wants to drop out, I salute them. That is worrisome to me. It would not surprise me if they would sacrifice Roxas. they are shitting their pants right now and the elite is heading for the hills. The Aquinos will go on an extended vacation. Probably sending out feelers already for political asylum and begging the US to help them.

    And the fucking church meddling again. Fucking assholes. If I were President I would tax the living daylights out of them and tell them to shut the fuck up.

  6. That was PR disaster beyond comprehension. Just unbelievable.

    And to think they were running the country for 6 years. Nakakatindig balibo.

    It is a mindset that now explains why they can have 44SAF killed, why they can kill Corona, why they can allow cadavers rotting in the streets of Tacloban for months, why they can use DAP as if it were their personal money….and so on.

    This Student Council of a government are not normal thinking human beings. That two minute press briefing was just the most appropriate summation of what Daan Matuwid was all about, exactly coming at the beginning of their end. Talk of destiny, karma, coincidences… whatever. It simply was a disaster.

    1. The confounding thing is that a lot of “educated” jaundiced people still actually believe the yellow brand is the color of the messiah.

      I used to be one of them but goddamned if the atrocities the last six years presented did not change me.

      Idiots.

  7. Dear MLQ3, we will dine in hell together with your grandfather. Philippines will finally have a better change & Duterte gonna win it in the end on May 9 or else face a bloody revolution. #ChangeIsComing

  8. No to Military Intervention to a Joma Sison cabinet post under China Politburo Influence!

    Poe is the Answer not Roxas ! Medal of Valor awardee Ariel Querubin as the crime czar is the best answer to DU30’s death squad !!!

    A Roxas vote or a Binay Vote or Miriam Vote is a guarantee of a DU30 satanic presidency
    !

    Think a million times for country and future !

    Freedom of Information( which DU30 abhors) and death penalty on heinous crimes ( which Roxas and Binay are terrified) is the cornerstone of a Poe President NOT shortcut justice that only the ayungin, biya and hipon criminals are swept not Abaya, Abad or drug lords and smugglers and the corrupt politicians in the country. Traditional dynasties have joined the bandwagon of DU30 like the Remullas and Edong Angara of Quezon.

    Share if you detest a DU30 Dictatorship !

    1. ikaw na lang. i rather choose dictatorship kung ito ang makakatigil sa corruption at pagnanakaw ng mga amo mong dilaw.

  9. Yellow retards GTFO! We have enough of disconnected intellectuals-kuno, washed out artists and sycophants that are in the Aquino camp. Serves you fucktards right that an outsider makes you shit your pants. I will support Duterte not because of the man, but this whole thing behind him is a tangible “fuck you” to the oligarchy.

  10. The nature of PH politics reflects the inherent individualism ingrained in the Pinoy psyche/society. Nation-wide unity is difficult to achieve if we are accustomed to seeing unity limited to multiple blocks and groups.

    You will notice the wisdom of the setup in the US elections: 2 parties battling it out with primary eliminations initially held to choose the champion on each side, similar to how the NBA ends up with just 2 teams fighting for the crown in the finals.

    Pinoy politics on the other hand is not a team game like basketball but an individual player game like swimming. Had it been like basketball, there would have been a battle first between Mar and Poe; where Poe would win the primary elections. Then the final showdown would be between Duterte (iron change camp) vs. Poe (status quo camp).

    But Pinoys prefer the chaos and factionalism on a flat hierarchy playing field like a gladiatorial arena with each combatant fighting his own battle for survival, and call it “more fun”. Yes maybe Pinoys can invent a new sport : a basketball court with only one ring and 5 teams playing simultaneously. Oh what chaos – oh what fun. Only in the Philippines.

    1. Speaking as someone who currently lives in Murica, the problem is that these elections are also basically run by their own oligarchies. Or rather, corporatarchy or whatever the word is. It’s exactly like your description of swimming only the primaries are the opening heats.

      Of course, Trump would be the closest thing to Duterte you’d find even if he is the nominee for one of the top two parties. Fire-spewing straight-talker with policy ideas that make the rest of the world wince, as well as followers (disclaimer: unlike Trump’s fans there are lots of Du30 fans who are quite sane otherwise) who have very little tolerance for cognitive dissonance.

      In the end though, nothing will really change unless the people also change as well – hence the wellspring of support for real “outsiders” like Bernie Sanders and third parties.

      So if/when Duterte wins, he’d also better inspire his followers to hold him accountable as an elected official if he wants to be more than just another Filipino “messiah.” That’s the fire that makes the iron change.

      1. What is it with you people always comparing Duterte to Trump. It is idiotic and utter nonsense. Please stop it already, I can’t hear it anymore!

        Just because someone is a straight talker, he suddenly is like Trump? WTF?!!!

    2. zaxx,

      “The nature of PH politics reflects the inherent individualism ingrained in the Pinoy psyche/society. Nation-wide unity is difficult to achieve if we are accustomed to seeing unity limited to multiple blocks and groups.”

      Exactly! The Philippines is an aristocratic and self-serving society. Filipinos–and their country-destructive ways–are the product of this corrupt society at all levels. No one is exempt from that fact.

      Aeta

  11. Does anyone watch the USA news in political parties here? This exact plan was just destroyed by Trump. The ideal can work, but only doing it using three steps. 1. One candidate must become the other person’s vice-presidential pick (which can’t be done in the Philippines). 2. You have to do this with positive press coverage showing that everyone cares about what is best for the country. 3. Under no situation may it appear that it is being done to stop someone from becoming president, because it will cause the person to look desperate and cause them to loose voters. vice-president to the other person to be successful.

    1. 1. One candidate must become the other person’s vice-presidential pick (which can’t be done in the Philippines).

      Honestly it’d be really interesting to watch the Duterte-BBM specific supporters grapple with trying to figure out if they want APC for Vice President or MDS as President since they’d be forced to pick one or the other.

  12. Lessons to be learned, if you’re a public servant, focus on public service and perform well. So when it’s election time again, your work will speak for itself. Tipid sa resources, tipid sa oras, and you don’t have to make yourself look desperate and stupid.

  13. VP Binay is the complete candidate among the 5 candidates
    the future president must be able to have all the changes people want discipline and all and still have a business sense for our economy and among all the candidates he is the only one who can improve the countrys economy with his platform and vision for the future of this country Gawa hindi Salita Gawa hindi Pangako

    1. Your kidding, Binay Jejomar will be a total disaster for Filipinos. You did not probably consider that h is a thief and it’s like handing over the wealth of the Philippines to him. Just like asking a goat to watch over a garden full of cabbages! Think Brother think!

  14. Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II cries, his tears dry up and run out. So Mar becomes a devil, reduced to a monster.

  15. Politicians use all different types of tactics and propaganda to achieve victory. Cheating, mud-slinging, vote-buying, intimidation, promise of unachievable accomplishments etc. Some politicians in the current voting era have genuine purpose to help the country in the stagnant economic situation our country is in, at least one tries to get elected to avail of the immunity umbrella against prosecution for alleged crimes of plunder levelled against him. One thing I believe is for sure, these candidates use at least one of the foregoing tactics/strategies. Is it really a choice for the lesser evil? Popularity or unorthodox style of governance? Choose wisely my dear Filipino voters!

  16. Grace Poe is a lady to reckon with for her principle. For one single last moment I heard her speak steadfast and boldly thus putting the inviter to hopelessness. Even Duterte has a soft spot for her, seeing in her her sincerity and potentials as a good public servant. I am for Duterte but I have also seen Grace to be an honest-to-goodness person. I hope she keeps it up in the days to come.

Leave a Reply to Jim DiGriz Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.