OUR prayers were not enough to make Manny Pacquiao win in Las Vegas.
However, we keep on praying for him to continue his fight in the presidential ring.
In boxing, age and time may have caught up with him.
However, in Philippine politics, he is strong and young compared to President Rodrigo ‘Digong’ Duterte.
Between Duterte and Mayor Sarah ‘Daughterte’ Carpio, he should keep his sights on the father for the moment.
While Duterte stays in the ring, even if he is running only for vice president, Manny as well as the other presidentiables – Vice President Leni Robredo and Senators Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and Richard ‘Dick’ Gordon and Mayor ‘Iskho’ Moreno, should consider DU30 as the principal enemy.
The vice presidentiables – Senate President ‘Tito’ Sotto, former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, former Senator Antonio ‘Sonny’ Trillanes and Sorsogon Governor ‘Chiz’ Escudero should also join the fun.
As regards the PDP-Laban, Pacquiao and Pimentel should take their legal remedies and leave the matter to the COMELEC.
If they win, it will be a slap on the usurpers. But if they lose, they need not worry.
Philippine political history has devalued political parties. It is no longer a prerequisite for victory to be a candidate of either the administration or dominant opposition parties.
The 1935 Constitution patterned the Philippine Commonwealth government after that of the USA except for the federal form of government and the bicameral legislature.
It had three branches. The executive was presidential. The legislature was unicameral and elected by districts. The judiciary had a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeals, Courts of First Instance and Justices of the Peace.
It was designed politically as a two - party system.
However, since 1906, except for brief periods, the Nacionalista Party had been very dominant. In 1922 (Colectivista and Unipersonalista), 1933 (Antis/Quezon and Pros/Roxas) and 1946 (NP – Liberal wing and NP), it split into two factions.
However, the two factions reunited in 1924 (Nacionalista Consolidado) and 1934 (NP). Finally, it took a decade before the two - party system was realized.
The 1946 split became permanent with the birth of the Liberal Party.
From 1946 until 1972, the two - party system survived many factional splits as well as new parties.
In 1948 the LP split into the President Elpidio Quirino and Senate President Jose Avelino factions but reunited in time for the 1949 elections.
Between 1949 and 1953 three factions left the LP – the Tañada/Citizen’s Party, the Romulo/Democratic Party and the Magsaysay faction.
In 1957, the Manuel Manahan/Progressive Party of the Philippines and the Claro M. Recto/Nationalist Citizens Party ran against the NP and LP.
In 1959, it was the turn of the Grand Alliance and in 1965, the Party for Philippine Progress.
The PPP and the Grand Alliance allied with the LP in 1961 under the United Opposition and won but then split again.
The Villareal, Pelaez and Marcos factions also split from the LP. Villareal rejoined but Pelaez and Marcos joined the NP. Earlier the NCP/Tañada and Rodriguez factions also rejoined the NP.
The Golden Rule then (1946 to 1969) was that a faction or a new third or fourth party could not beat either of the two dominant parties - the administration or opposition. You have to join either of them in order to win as Pelaez did in 1961 and Marcos in 1965.
A notable exception was that in 1961, an independent candidate for vice president, ‘Serging’ Osmena, Jr., got more votes than the administration Nacionalista Party candidate, Senator Gil Puyat.
However, Marcos’s Martial Law and the 1987 Cory Constitution dealt a death blow to the two – party system.
The former’s 1973 ‘Viva Voche’ Constitution mandated a ‘mestizo’ parliamentary system with a strong president.
The latter mandated a presidential form with a multi - party system.
Although Marcos was elected in 1965 and reelected in 1969 as the Nacionalista Party standard bearer, during Martial Law, he organized the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).
It was the dominant party during the 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1986 elections.
Under the 1987 Cory Constitution, the president was limited to one six - year term.
Political parties proliferated. Except for the 2004 elections, the dominant party’s presidential candidates were defeated in 1992 (Speaker Ramon V. Mitra), 1998 (Speaker Joe de Venecia), 2010 (Secretary Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro) and 2016 (Secretary Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas).
Soon after the winning presidential candidate’s party was flooded with turncoats from the other parties.
Manny Pacquiao should just concentrate on running.
There are many parties that he can use. Meanwhile, 1Sambayan should at least consider him and listen to his program of government.
The opposition needs excitement, the Mindanao votes and media coverage.