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.

By Jerry Tundag

Even before he officially joined politics, Adel Tamano already enjoyed what many politicians would give an arm for — facial recognition and name recall. The young lawyer not only has an actor’s good looks, he is also an excellent communicator.

Despite being a son of former senator Mamintal Tamano, Adel did not jump headlong into politics by vying for an elective position himself. Instead he immersed himself in politics by lending his appealing presence to the company of older politicians.

Now, I don’t know if there was something deliberate in the manner in which he chose the company he kept. But by introducing himself to the national consciousness in the company of the likes of Joseph Estrada and Jejomar Binay, it was clear he enjoyed the benefit of comparison.

Compared to Estrada and Binay, Adel offered television audiences a refreshing contrast to almost everything that the two veteran politicians offered and presented. He was young as opposed to old, good-looking as opposed to ... well..., and articulate as opposed to mumbling.

In a country with an electorate that is increasingly getting younger — half the population being below 25 years of age — and an inexplicable preference for appearance rather than substance — Adel would be certainly be a prized catch in any ticket for election.

So I am sure Estrada, who continues to foolishly dream of regaining the presidency, and Binay, who thinks Filipinos will foolishly mistake the Philippines for Makati, must have been emboldened in no small measure in their folly by assuming Adel was an ace up their sleeve.

But apparently Adel is not all appearance. The inkling we had of his substance from the manner in which he talks, he recently validated by making a choice that must have stunned and stunk Estrada and Binay but which entrenched his own self as a man who knows his destiny.

Adel broke his ties with the United Opposition of Binay and the Partido ng Masang Pilipino of Estrada and joined the Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar, also a contender for the 2010 presidential election.

The move of Adel is clearly to pave the way for what many perceive to be his first real foray into politics — a run for the Senate. It is a move that strengthens both his position, as well as that of Villar.

Villar, who is the subject of a widely-perceived trumped-up ethics complaint in a Senate dominated by colleagues who are also his rivals for the presidency, could not have been any happier by the development.

Having wisely refused to engage his rivals in a frontal confrontation but instead meeting them head-on in press conferences which he can at least control, it seems that it is Villar who has benefitted largely from recent political developments.

A few days before Adel linked up with the Nacionalista Party, Villar also welcomed several local government officials who have defected from the administration, further entrenching himself as the leading opposition contender for the presidency.

While I do not give much credence to surveys, there are indeed surveys that say Villar is the preferred presidential candidate. Maybe the lengthening line of officials crossing over to his fold is a good indicator of his chances in 2010.

But I think it is the acquisition of Adel that pleases Villar the most at this point. A fresh personality is always a welcome change in any environment. And for political purposes, he proves to be a coup for Villar, who instead of being weakened appears to be gaining.

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