Ramon Tulfo's Fearless Forecast

My fearless forecast

By Ramon Tulfo
Inquirer
Last updated 03:23am (Mla time) 05/03/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Here is my fearless forecast a little less than two weeks before the May 14 election:

Sen. Lito Lapid, who was elected to his current post and, before that, Pampanga governor based on his popularity, will meet his political Waterloo in Makati where he’s running against the incumbent, Mayor Jejomar Binay.

I have no love lost for Binay, who has been accused of massive corruption (which politician is clean and honest, anyway?), but from what I’ve gathered from residents, he’s a modern-day Robin Hood. He has done for Makati what his predecessors—including the much-loved, albeit controversial Nemesio Yabut—had not done: Take care of the needs of the poor and elderly residents.

Board Member Lilia “Baby” Pineda will win by a mile in the Pampanga gubernatorial race against the incumbent Gov. Mark Lapid, the senator’s son, and Catholic priest Eddie Panlilio.

There’s been a lot of hype about Panlilio getting the support of the middle class, the rich and the intellectuals in the province. But do these sectors comprise the majority?

Pineda, married to alleged “jueteng” lord Bong Pineda, is known for her charitable work even before she ran for office a couple of years ago. She’s the first to lend a helping hand to calamity victims who are not even her constituents, like when she organized a 30-truck convoy to typhoon-ravaged Bicol a few months ago.

Panlilio’s fellow priests are, of course, secretly supporting the woman candidate. Why? Because when they need help in their parishes, they run to her or her husband Bong.

The poor and the unlettered, who comprise the majority of voters in Pampanga and who supported Lito and Mark Lapid, love Pineda.

Retired two-star police general Eduardo Matillano will not win against incumbent Edward Hagedorn, who’s leading his opponent by a mile in the surveys in the Puerto Princesa mayoralty race.

Like Pineda and Binay, Hagedorn is also a Robin Hood in Puerto Princesa.

Even if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte had an opponent—he’s practically running unopposed—he would win by a landslide over his strong rival.

Duterte, whose alleged brand of governance is comparable to the mythical movie character “Dirty Harry,” is also loved by his constituents for bringing peace and order to their city.

Davao City residents don’t care about alleged human rights violations attributed to Duterte in dealing with notorious criminals like rapists, robbers and drug pushers.

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Banana king Antonio Floirendo Sr. is supporting the rival of his brother-in-law, Rodolfo del Rosario, for the Davao del Norte gubernatorial race, the incumbent Gov. Yayong Gemintiza.

Sources close to the Floirendo family said they consider Del Rosario an “ingrate.”

Floirendo Sr. gave Del Rosario the management of the Tadeco banana plantation and supported his candidacy for governor the first time.

The old man wanted his son, Antonio Jr. or “Tonyboy,” to run but Del Rosario opposed it and instead said he would join the race.

In order not to divide the family, Tonyboy withdrew his candidacy in favor of his uncle, the sources said.

But now, it seems all the resources of the Floirendo family, which include the billion-peso banana plantation, will be brought to bear against Del Rosario, a former governor. My sources said Gementiza would not have run had Tonyboy thrown his hat in the gubernatorial contest.