By: Fel Maragay

The camp of former President Joseph Estrada and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay lost a credible and skillful spokesman and a very promising politician when lawyer Adel Tamano quit and moved over to the Nacionalista Party led by Senator Manuel Villar.

The resignation of Tamano was quite painful to both sides because he was an invaluable asset of the United Opposition (composed of Estrada’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Binay’s Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan). As spokesman, Tamano used his legal and communication expertise and lent the prestige of his name in articulating the views of the opposition on diverse issues, particularly in criticizing administration policies and decisions.

The departure of Tamano is a big blow especially to Estrada, as it occurred at a time when his plan to join the 2010 presidential race and recapture power is moving into high gear. The former president was caught off guard by Tamano’s sudden resignation. He reacted with disbelief when the latter came to him to bid goodbye. Estrada did not expect the move; only a few weeks before, he had included Tamano in the initial list of his senatorial line-up for the 2010 elections. It was a recognition, a reward to the rising political star from Muslim Mindanao for what he has done for the political opposition.

Interviewed by newsmen at the Kapihan sa Sulo in Quezon City over the weekend, Tamano gave two reasons why he decided to jump over to the NP. First is the sentimental reason—his father, the late Senator Mamintal Tamano, was a pillar of the NP during its heyday. The second is his belief that Manny Villar, who rose from poverty to fortune through enterprise and hard work, could provide the kind of leadership that the country needs.

But I think there is a bigger reason why he broke away from Estrada. Tamano’s fateful decision came shortly after Fr. Joaquin Bernas, eminent constitutionalist and delegate to the 1986 Constitutional Commission, explained in his newspaper column the grounds why Estrada is no longer eligible to run for reelection as president. Bernas, former dean at the Ateneo University College of Law, reproduced in his column the portions of the Con-Com proceedings where the prohibition on the re-election of an incumbent and past president of the republic were lengthily discussed. As an Ateneo law graduate, Tamano could not have overlooked and just brushed aside the Bernas’ treatise. It might have in fact influenced him into casting doubts on the viability of Estrada’s attempt at a second presidential bout.

Let us assume that in November, Estrada files his certificate of candidacy for president. If the Comelec decides to disqualify him and this is sustained by the Supreme Court, you could imagine how it could throw the Estrada team including his senatorial bets into a state of disarray and uncertainty. Perhaps, this is the nightmarish scenario that this aspiring Maranao politician dreads most. And this is a gambit that he would take pains to avoid in his first attempt to seek public office.

Now coffee shops are abuzz with talk that Villar dangled an offer to Tamano that was too tempting to refuse. This was what media men heard straight from a campaign strategist and propagandist of Mr. Estrada after the media forum with Tamano at Sulo Hotel.

At any rate, we wish the Harvard-educated Tamano the best of luck in his foray into politics. Seldom does a person with admirable credentials and leadership potentials emerge to represent the Muslim community in the national legislature. It would be a pity if the opportunities that are coming his way to fulfill his dream and destiny would just be wasted.

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With Tamano gone from the Estrada camp, former Senate President and Ambassador Ernesto Maceda has stepped into the shoes of spokesman of the UNO. The loss of Tamano must be so heart-breaking for Estrada and company that they seem to have intentionally refrained from commenting on it. No doubt, the loss has a lot of negative implications; the less they talk about it, the better for them. In the midst of Tamano affair, one thing that must have comforted Estrada was that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is back to his fold. Remember Enrile allied himself with the Arroyo administration after power changed hands in Malacañang. Now, Enrile has become a mainstay in Estrada’s provincial sorties dubbed “Lakbay Pasasalamat” (Journey of Gratitude) which he launched shortly after being granted executive clemency and freed from detention following his conviction for plunder by the court. The public was surprised when the 85-year-old Enrile a few months ago announced that he was running for re-election under Estrada’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino. The announcement was naturally a big letdown to Malacañang because it had been hoping that Enrile would join the administration’s senatorial ticket. But Enrile said that while he adopted a policy of collaboration with the administration, he has never left the PMP that he used to head as party president. Of course, this was quite confusing. Many believe that Enrile, like Senator Miriam Santiago, had burned his bridges with the opposition after he allied himself with President Arroyo. In fact, when Enrile was catapulted to the Senate presidency during the leadership coup on Nov. 17, 2008, was it not hailed as a victory for the administration? But since Enrile is claiming that there has not been an interruption in his membership in the PMP, it can be interpreted to mean he has never left the opposition. It sounds like a case of one cruising on two rivers. And since the next elections are drawing near, one cannot help but see Enrile as somebody enjoying the best of both worlds. This illustrates once more the state of confusion in our flawed political system where the distinction between administration and opposition has been blurred or erased. It reflects the convoluted political alignment if the Senate where both the majority and the minority blocs are made up of administration and opposition members.