By Raymund B. Villanueva
Makabayan Coalition’s miting de avance last night felt special. It was special.
The crowd was huge–2 blocks deep–bigger than the puny effort by the PDP (Criminal Wing) at Liwasang Bonifacio last Thursday. I doubt that even Alyansa could match it if attendance is purely voluntary as yesterday at Tomas Morato.
Last night, the activists partied. Each sector had gimmicks lending to a festive atmosphere. The speeches were fiery as expected but lighter than their usual. I felt relief in the candidates’ voices that a campaign season had concluded with their main objectives achieved, including the amplification of the people’s issues amid their rivals’ tired circus.
In stark contrast with most candidates of the trapo mold, the hopefuls didn’t talk about themselves nor took themselves seriously. They talked about their sectors and the advocacies they’ve dedicated their entire lives to. My favorite parts: Ka Daning’s theatrical poetry reading wearing barong and accompanied by the cultural group Sinagbayan, and Mek Lidasan and Ronnel Arambulo’s duet that must have moved Rosario Brenda Gonzalez to tears. Their performances provided the strong kick to end the rally.
Campaign manager Nato Reyes summed it up nicely: The National Democrats have again proven they are the real opposition. They could run a campaign with a (nearly) full slate, several partylists and a few local candidates with very little resources and against vicious attacks, emerging from it all hugging and congratulating each other while the trapos aren’t done backstabbing each other. I imagine this was how it felt like with the Partido ng Bayan in the 1980s when they ran against the coristas and the loyalistas.
More than the votes, their gains in terms of organizational strength, breadth and depth were in full display last night.
While I am confident that the Makabayan bloc would return to the HOR, I don’t see any of its Senate aspirants breaking into the “winning 12.” Not their fault, of course, but their rivals’ unfair GGG (guns, goons, gold) tactics. Still, their obvious gains reveal them as one of the biggest winners after Monday.#
