NPC’s Joan of Arc in search of a Dauphin

In an earlier column, I wrote that self-declared vice-presidential candidate Loren Legarda, descending upon what looked like a wake of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, rallied its members after their erstwhile presidential candidate Francis Escudero deserted them. Loren roused the troops a la Joan of Arc, promising to “lead you to victory.” I recounted the remark of a party elder, former Gov. Tomas Joson, as he watched the white-shirted lady senator sounding the clarion call to battle, “Yan ang tunay na lalaki.”

Now Joan of Arc is in furious search of her Dauphin, for whom she would do battle in the coming months up to May 2010. If reports are to be believed, she’s choosing between NP bet Manny Villar and Lakas bet Gilbert Teodoro. Villar offers entrepreneurship and a home for every poor Filipino as the pillar of his economic platform, while Teodoro doubtless would make the reconstruction of this storm-ravaged country his main preoccupation in the succeeding years, which will be filled with fears and uncertainties over the onslaught of climate change.

Pairing Loren off with either presidential candidate would be to the latter’s advantage, as her unique brand of political machismo has apparently not been lost on voters, especially after her former political partner, Chiz Escudero, proved faint-hearted. A prominent businessman who’s a regular fixture in the dinner circuit recounted to me recently that in various polling of candidate preferences in several dinners he attended, Loren always came out ahead in the VP race. His conclusion: Hindi nakakaseguro si Mar Roxas.

Source:http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20091110-235281/NPCs-Joan-of-Arc-in-search-of-a-Dauphin