‘Pride chicken’

"Pride chicken" is a Pinoy slang term for foolish pride, which could cause the downfall of a person. In this case, two persons – the two presidential candidates of the opposition, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and actor Fernando Poe Jr.

We were told by both camps that a conflict of schedule made them call off their much-ballyhooed talks for unification last Monday. If you can’t even synchronize your schedules, I don’t see how you can synchronize your political objectives.

The word from the Lacson camp last night was that the talks would push through either this Sunday or Monday. But we’ve been hearing those "calendar stories" since FPJ filed his certificate of candidacy last year. From the FPJ camp the word was that he was getting impatient for the talks to push through. Maybe he needs a translator for his handlers to get his message.

From the rumor mill the buzz was that the Iglesia ni Cristo would not withdraw its support for Lacson. But the influential religious group, which has always voted as a bloc, reportedly told FPJ that if he managed to persuade Lacson to slide down to vice president, then the INC would give the unified opposition ticket its full backing.

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I don’t know how this can happen since each time talks are scheduled, Poe’s running mate Sen. Loren Legarda or someone from her camp would be on some early morning radio or TV show, announcing that FPJ has no intention of sliding down or dumping her as his vice president.

Meanwhile, over at Camp Capinpin, deposed President Joseph Estrada tells anyone interested that he isn’t brokering any unification talks. If Lacson would go to him, Erap reportedly plans to persuade his former national police chief to give way to Poe. But Lacson, who surely knows what Erap is planning, has been avoiding his former boss, not showing up even for the ousted president’s 67th birthday bash last Monday.

What was all that blather about Ping and Poe growing close enough to become text mates? Lacson thought he had finally found a way to get rid of middlemen – perhaps they should be called meddling men – in the Poe camp who were in the way of unification. One tale going around is that unknown to Lacson, even before that texting story saw print, the middlemen had confiscated FPJ’s cell phone.

So these days when Lacson texts Poe, he gets some out-of-the-world response, such as, "A merry Christmas to you, too!" And when he tries to call, either the line is busy or Poe’s phone is unattended.

Okay, that must be a joke. But these days no one can be laughing in the opposition.

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After the failure of the talks to push through last Monday, many people have written off opposition unification and are preparing for the growing likelihood of victory for President Arroyo, even without a little help from the Commission on Elections.

Some quarters are still pinning their hopes on the ailing Raul Roco, thinking that his illness could be a blessing in disguise by generating public sympathy. The latest word from his camp was that he would be back no later than April 28.

But even if by some miracle, Roco bares rippled abs and gets his picture taken while working out on a treadmill upon his return, I’m afraid the shadow cast by his poor health has spooked many voters. The man is capable, no argument about that, but think about it: Roco wins but is temporarily incapacitated by recurring back pains. Who takes over the government? Why, the front-runner in the vice presidential race, of course: "Kabayan" Noli de Castro!

Nope, we really need a healthy president.

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The child of providence, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, must now work extra hard to widen her lead and garner enough votes for a convincing victory margin.

These days the winning margin is a cause for concern, given the polarization in Philippine society that started during EDSA II. We should be glad that opposing groups are still putting their faith in the ballot. But if the winning margin is too small, unrest in the next six years could lead the nation to ruin.

We can’t afford to have a Florida-type or Taiwan-type election here. Americans quickly concede defeat even when the winning margin is razor-thin and their Supreme Court has to step in to declare the winner. In this country, however, no one ever loses, especially in a presidential election. Here we have only a winner and sore losers crying that they have been cheated.

Under normal circumstances, those complaints are simply shrugged off by the public as the ranting and raving of characters like former Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (now on her way to another term in the Senate). But with the deep divisions now bedeviling our country, those complaints could fuel sustained unrest.

So far, survey results have not been encouraging. The President and Poe are still in a statistical tie, according to pollsters. The number of undecided voters is still too high. Faced with lackluster choices, the undecided may simply not bother picking a president or even casting their votes.

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There is always the possibility that an eleventh-hour opposition unification could upset all those survey results and ensure victory for either Lacson or Poe. There is some agreement that even if Lacson is lagging in the surveys, he could shoot up and even overtake the President if Poe slides down and throws his full support behind a unified opposition ticket.

So far, however, there has been no change in the Poe camp’s response to suggestions that he give way to Lacson: Poe is way ahead in the surveys and he will slide down? Are you nuts? Or, in Pinoy slang: Ano ka, hilo?

There’s also the question of how effective an eleventh-hour unification can be in a presidential race. Switching campaign focus and merging with another group could be particularly tricky for local leaders of the two candidates in the last two weeks of a campaign. Some of these local leaders may even be running against each other. How can they unify this late in the day?

What a mess, and all because the two opposition candidates can’t synchronize their schedules and find time for each other. This unification looks as dead as a "double dead" chicken.