Erap for Senator?

This is the bold proposal of fellow blogger & columnist Manolo Quezon III (today’s Inquirer), and friends of his must be wondering what in the heck….! Before we dismiss this outright, we ought to consider the following:

1. In people’s minds, the opposition is still Erap. Senate President Manny Villar, an administration senator, went to see him in Tanay to ensure his ascension. A documentary on his life and times (including his ouster) was prohibited by the MTRCB because it was deemed powerful enough to undermine the present administration. In major surveys, Erap clearly has maintained his hold among core followers while the President’s ratings have yet to register a sharp upward adjustment. Never mind which party a candidate belongs to — mention Erap, and clearly that candidate has sided with the opposition.

2. Rhetoric-wise, Erap is The Great Communicator. Before a crowd of thousands or among a handful, he is able to keep his audience’s attention — not because of too many big ideas, but because he appeals to the “Pinoyness” of the masa, down to the very last pun.

3. The administration has money, lots of it, and an archipelagic network of “gung-ho” pro-Chacha-ers. The opposition can have a bit more money, some of it, when there’s Erap, as well as bigger crowds in provincial sorties to be organized by Erap’s well-experienced crew. I can imagine an “Erap moment”, telecast live on video, charming the crowd with a wink, and a grin, and a drop-dead quip –>”Cha-cha? Pumalpak na ‘yan sa takilya dati, inuulit na naman nila?”

4. From the point of view of the people, would an Erap candidacy do this country good? I think at this point, anything that would awaken fervor for democracy will do us good. What if he wins? He was a previous senator, but at that time he had yet to savor the mortal wounds of political gunplay. With his experience as a detainee and ousted president, he may just give social justice a bemoustached presence. If he does not, then he will just be another senator, elected into office with millions of votes, that are instantly forgotten once an array of goodies are presented to him and him alone — no longer as Erap of the people. Whatever the people may decide, a run for the Senate brings with it an opportunity for closure at least on how the public has adjudged his case.

Will he throw his hat in the ring? He might, if: 1) his lawyers ease up on him; 2) his family unites behind this idea, thus leading some of them to forsake their own ambitions, and 3) if the surveys show that Erap is still the force to reckon with insofar as this administration is concerned.

But what about the other players? In politics as in life, you must be prepared to fight, to bare your soul, to accept the wounds of defeat and even of humiliation for causes that you deem just and morally right. In recent memory, how many among the present crop of political players did just that?