Like everybody who was stunned by the scale and magnitude of Manny Pacquiao?s unprecedented victory in the May 10 elections, I am deciphering his triumph over a well-entrenched political clan with a heavy load over my shoulder.
While I never doubted Manny?s sincerity, it was his choice of friends and political advisers that raised the alarm in me.
Turns out, Manny was right. You cannot argue with success, after all. And for it, Manny deserves a high five for a ?job well done.?
For posterity purposes, however, this piece is a journal of what I saw happened and my own take why Manny, despite his own frailties as a candidate and cynical views from political pundits, emerged a runaway winner.
To say that Manny?s victory was a juggernaut is an understatement.
Except for the top provincial posts and the lone mayoralty race in Maitum town, the People?s Champ Movement virtually swept all the contested seats in Sarangani.
His victory was a repeat of the 2004 elections where re-elected Sarangni Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez made a similar sweeping victory over the scandal and graft-ridden administration of former Gov. Miguel Escobar.
While both victories of Dominguez (2004) and Pacquiao (2010) were spectacular, the contexts of their triumphs are poles apart.
Manny?s immense popularity and his bottomless campaign kitty were no doubt the two major ingredients to his victory.
If reports are accurate, Manny virtually spent more than half of the net purse he received from fighting Ghanian Joshua Clottey in March this year.
His self-anointed ?chief of staff? Mike Koncz was quoted by several foreign correspondents saying out aloud that for the Chiongbians to win, they will have to match Manny?s standby fund of P300,000,000 (US$6.6 million).
The Chiongbians, after they conceded defeat, said while they can triple Manny?s expenditure, they won?t spend that much just to keep the lone Congressional seat for the province to themselves.
?We might as well invest it in our own businesses,? said Ken Solon, nephew of Manny?s defeated opponent Roy Chiongbian.
Simply put, they folded as I had repeatedly pointed out in my previous articles. http://asiancorrespondent.com/edwin-espejo/pacquiao-watch-manny%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98dysfunctional%E2%80%99-team
The Chiongbians will only have themselves to blame.
Outgoing Rep. Erwin Chiongbian never nurtured and protected the political machinery their late father Rep. James Chiongbian built through the years. http://asiancorrespondent.com/edwin-espejo/archives/150
Manny campaigned solely on anti-poverty while occasionally touching corruption issue, the Chiongbians on competence.
For a poor province like Sarangani, Manny had the more connect to the voters.
His promises of alleviating their poor conditions resonated with the electorate. Dumping money like no other even made Manny more politically attractive.
While Manny?s camp won?t admit it, the Filipino boxing champion spent quite a fortune for his victory. Half a billion peso (US$9 million) is my own fair estimate. Of course, he did not spend all of them just during the campaign period.
He sowed the seeds of his political career in Sarangani as early as 2007 when he bankrolled the candidacy of his close friend and political ally Malungon town Mayor Reynaldo Constantino to the tune of P27 million (US$600,000).
Was there massive vote-buying? Or is Manny guilty of such?
Judging on the faces worn and gait showed by the victors, I can say with conviction that money was the singular factor that carried them to victory.
This is not to say the other camp did not spend in its election bid.
They were simply outspent.
As Gov. Dominguez aptly said, good governance is no longer enough to get re-elected.
He himself almost lost to a Manny ally whose claim to political fame was upsetting a member of the Chiongbian family in 1998.
How Manny will put the reins on his elected party mates will ultimately determine the future of his political life.
Already, some of his party mates are laying the groundwork for political vendetta, vowing to make life miserable for Dominguez and his vice governor Steve Solon, a member of the Chiongbian political clan.
Manny should not allow himself to be swayed by the expediency of satisfying the lust for blood of his party mates.
He should rise above the petty and parochial concerns of the people whom he bankrolled to earn their comebacks in politics (for some).
While Dominguez barely escaped the onslaught, Manny should bear in mind that the governor survived because of his competence, credibility and popularity.
Manny knows this by heart. Like a fighter atop the ring, he knows how to respect his adversary.
