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An honorable act

Sorrsogon Rep. Salvador “Sonny” Escudero said when he talked with his senator-son Chiz the first hour of Tuesday, he (Chiz) was not yet decided on his political plans.

As he was going out of the church yesterday morning, “6:47 a.m., to be exact”, he got a text from Chiz: “Tatay, I will not run.”

Congressman Escudero said he is happy with his son’s decision. He believes that the political system in the country is not yet ready for an independent candidate for president.

“He is taking the honorable path and I’m proud of him,” he said.

A source close to Escudero said last week, a businessman close to the Arroyos offered him P100 million campaign assistance in exchange for voting for Justice Agnes Devanadera to be justice of the Supreme Court.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice, Escudero is the representative to the Judicial and Bar Council that screens nominees for Supreme Court justice. The source said that money could have been a substantial contribution to his campaign fund. But he turned it down.

As he said in his speech yesterday when he announced he was not running for any elective office in the 2010 elections: “I’ve always said that for me, it’s the presidency but not at all cost. Not at the cost of losing my soul, not at the cost of losing myself, not at the cost by being eaten up by the system and the process and certainly not at the cost of not being able to do the things that I was and set out to do.”

Escudero was the choice of the Magdalo group for president. With his withdrawal from the race, whom will the Magdalo, with 40,000 members all over the country support?

Magdalo spokesman Ashley Acedillo, who is running as representative in Cebu, said there would be a new consultation among the members. In last October’s voting, Escudero was number one, Sen. Noynoy Aquino was the second choice. Others in the list were Sen. Manny Villar and former president Joseph Estrada.

In a conversation days after he left his party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition last month, Escudero said, “I did not plan to take this path because I have always been a party man. I was led to this path, and to tell you the truth, I feel good.”

Escudero is out of the presidential race. But he saved his soul. That cannot be said of a number of candidates slugging it out for power in this election.

Published in2010 elections

34 Comments

  1. chi chi

    Pinas’ political system is not ready yet for a new politics of Chiz, hindi pa natatanaw.

    Don’t be afraid to speak your soul, Chiz. It makes a lot of difference for those who seek an enlightened political path.

  2. Kung ako sa Magdalo, None Of The Above na lang. Wala ni isa sa natitirang kandidato ang karapatdapat maging simbulo ng pagbabagong hangad ng grupo nina Trillanes atbp. Wala nang prinsipyo – winnability, popularity, at money politics na lang.

    O kaya’y patakbuhing pangulo si Gen. Lim.

  3. chi chi

    Agree, tongue.

  4. olan olan

    It was easy when Chiz was around…Agree tongue and chi!
    Now the reality…any real suggestions??

  5. Diego K. Guerrero Diego K. Guerrero

    Hindi pa niya panahon sa 2010. Siguro sa 2016. May anim pang taon para i-solidify ang kanyang political agenda sa grassroots level. Para sa akin mas-ayos kung neutral stand ang Magdalo sa presidential derby.

  6. martina martina

    Walang malakas na grupo ang umampon ng tumiwalag sa party ni Danding, kaya hayan, hindi na makatakbo. Ngayon best friend nya daw si Noynoy, what can one connect – i have a guess.

    He thought going solo with no party to chain him will make him a hero and that people will be ‘magkandarapa’ to push him to go on, but nada, nothing happened even when Lito Banayo went full time to help him. Am sure in the future, kakainin niya ang statement niya na ‘ayaw niya ng nakadena sa political party’. He closed the doors and time will come he will beg for one to open.

  7. isaganigatmaitan isaganigatmaitan

    why did the following earlier post disappear?

    “as i said in my october 29, 2009 post, chiz is a trapo masquerading as a reformer/political crusader. good riddance, chiz!

  8. tingog boss tingog boss

    Kung lilinawin ni chiz sa kaniyang 2016 plataporma ay law-and-order kasama sa jobs-jobs-jobs, baka makalimutan ng mga botante na it will still be the same chiz na nagsabi tanggaling ang math dahil pambilyar lang iyon.

  9. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    Okay. Now that you are no longer in campaign mode, let’s see you do something for Sorsogon.

  10. baguneta baguneta

    Paano na tayo nyan TT. Wala nang itulak kabigin sa mga ulangya. Dapat si Trillanes ang patakbuhin, sumablay man nasa senado pa rin sya. Sayang yung slot ni Gen. Lim kung hindi lulusot.

  11. reyp reyp

    I was looking at either Chiz or Noynoy to vote for. Now that Chiz is gone, that only leaves Noynoy. However, the recent moves of Noynoy and LP shows that they are no different from other trapos. By accepting the Rectos, Echiverri, Richard Gomez, Cesar Montano and many other pro-GMA or known corrupt entities, they have gone against their slogan of Good vs Evil. No wonder even Sen. Serge Osmena can’t stomach it.

    I think I will go for nobody. The Magdalos may just do that also as none in the field espouse true change for the better.

  12. perl perl

    TonGuE-tWisTeD – November 25, 2009 12:26 am
    Kung ako sa Magdalo, None Of The Above na lang.

    Agree! pero I think, kailangan nilang mamili at malamang si Noynoy na… and since sabi din ni chiz… nagparaya sya para sa kaibigan nyang si Noynoy…

  13. perl perl

    baguneta – November 25, 2009 8:31 am
    Paano na tayo nyan TT. Wala nang itulak kabigin sa mga ulangya. Dapat si Trillanes ang patakbuhin

    Paki basa mo tong statement ni Sen. Trillanes sa previous thread. Malamang si Noynoy susuportahan ni Trillanes.

    Now, this is just the first step. Ultimately, only an aggressive political/governance reform and development agenda can restore peace, progress and democracy in these areas. Let’s just hope Noynoy (or whoever will be the next president) has one. – Trillanes

  14. Mike Mike

    Chiz is acting like a spoiled kid. He thinks everything he wants, he gets. He throws into tantrums when he doesn’t get his candy. Good thing he realized this early that not everything in this world is free. I know he will be a good president someday, but not now, not this early.

  15. Mike Mike

    Mukhang yung ibang boto para kay Chiz ay mapupunta kaya Erap lalo na yung supporters ni FPJ who supported Chiz. Some will go for Noynoy and a few for Villar. But definitely none going for Gibo.

  16. ace ace

    “Kung” mananalo si Noynoy sa pagka-pangulo sa 2010.Sana ma-appoint si Mar at Chiz sa mga sensitive position na kilala sa graft and corruption para malaman talaga natin ang kalibre at integridad ng mga ito, na maaaring gawing batayan sa pagpili natin sa 2016 kung balak nilang tumakbo sa panahon na yon.

    Halimbawa, sa Bureau of Customs, BIR, DPWH o di kaya bilang Ombudsman.

  17. Mike Mike

    Bakit kaya lahat ng hinahawakan ni Lito Banayo ay umaatras? 😛

  18. olan olan

    Tama Ace…kahit si Jamby Madrigal na lang para sa posisyung Ombudsman!!

  19. Destroyer Destroyer

    Pagdating ng 2016 sawa na ang tao kay chiz lalo na sa mga appearance niya sa mga television at mga patalinghagang pananalita… wa epek din, tama na ang drama mo chiz. Buti pa si manok nag file ng COC buo ang loob.

    Nung una die hard Chiz kami pero now kay c-5 nalang kami.

  20. CHIZ
    You are a young,brilliant and articulate man.Write a book or two to express your political thoughts.We don’t know much about you except for your crisp statements during interviews and press conferences.

    Be a damn good senator in the tradition of Diokno,Tanada and Recto.

    Forget the photo ops and the showmanship during endless televised hearings.

    Chiz, ASA! Dream On!

  21. perl perl

    tama lang another 6 years para mabantayan performance nito ni Chiz… sa totoo lang, hindi ako bilib sa performance nito.. wala kong makita… kaya tong pagatras nya… good decision!

  22. Advrider Advrider

    @ Ellen: The title of the article was misleading. For a while there, I thought it was your opinion (and not the father’s) that Chiz quitting the presidential race was an honorable act. Unless you intended to mislead, maybe you should have enclosed the phrase in quotation marks?

    “Honorable” wasn’t at all the right term here. “Practical”, “wise”, etc. would have been more appropriate, since it was obvious he wouldn’t win.

  23. Destroyer Destroyer

    Sabi ng LP (abNoy @ Mar) labanan ng “Good” at “Evil” sa eleksyon. Ibig sabihin ang LP sila ang good, evil naman sa administrasyun arroyo. Therefore, ang LP ngayon sila ang EVIL dahil halos lahat ng tuta ni gloria lumipat sa kanila.

    Dapat maging wise tayo sa pagboto. Ang LP iisang mukha sa mga tuta ni gloria. Si gloria at abnoy parehas na taga central luzon at capampangan… iisa ang ugali mayabang at mataas ang ere. Hindi ko nilalahat dahil tarlakenyo rin ako pero ang pag-uugali ng campampangan “makati ang kamay”. Lahat yata ng ?LORD galing sa kanila except kay tracy lord.

  24. Oblak Oblak

    It will be Noynoy-Mar pa rin sa akin with some of the LP senators, kahit naglipatan ang mga butete sa LP bago mag election. Ang mga turncoats na yan, hindi naman siguradong mananalo sila dahil sumali sa LP. Yung mga nasa ibang partido naman, kapag nanalo sa election at nanalo rin si Noynoy, maglilipatan din ang mga iyan sa partido ni Noynoy. Para sa mga turncoats, nasa nature na nila ang magbilimbing, it is just a question of when.

    Destroyer, matagal tagal ko nang hindi naririnig ang pangalang Tracy Lord. I love Tracy Lord and Ginger Lynn. Those were the days when movies are really good.

  25. Destroyer Destroyer

    Oblak:::

    Matagal ng born again si Tracy Lord. Si Ginger Lynn kinuha na siya ni Lord kasama si Asea Carrera. Mag “Trike Patrol” ka nalang sa http://www.filestube.com mga kababayan natin.

  26. martina martina

    Kinukuha daw campaign manager ng LP si Chiz. Araynaku, hindi ba campaign manager din siya nuon ni FPJ? Ibig sabihin may dalang malas siguro.

    Habang lumalaon, ang NOynoy naming boto baka mapunta kay Erap na lang. Nahahaluan ng mga true evils ang partido LP, mabuti pa sa moderated evils na partido ni Erap.

  27. luzviminda luzviminda

    martina,

    Dapat lang na pag-isipan mo kung susugal ka kay Noynoy, dahil nakikipag-usap ang LP partikular na sina Noynoy-Mar kay….Fidel Ramos. Alam naman natin malaki din ang kasalanan niya sa bayan at siyang nagsugo kay Gloria habang siya ay nagpapasasa din sa mga napakinabang niya sa kaban ng bayan lalo na sa mga na-privatize niyang pag-aari ng gobyerno. Isa yang si Ramos na takot ma-upo uli sa pagka-presidente si Erap dahil hahabulin siya sa mga kasalanan sa bayan. Sa totoo lang si Erap na lang ang natitirang tunay na oposisyon at may puso sa masang Pinoy, ang iba nabahiran na ng kamandag ni Ramos at Gloria.

  28. Sabi ng bolang kristal ko, lilipat ang mga Mangudadatu sa LP!

    Biktima sila ngayon, pero pareho lang sila ng mga Ampatuan na mga warlord, mga mandaraya sa eleksiyon, gagamitin na naman sila ng mga trapo sa Liberal Party.

  29. norpil norpil

    as of now i am for erap kahit may edad na.

  30. ayouth_on ayouth_on

    “Kinukuha daw campaign manager ng LP si Chiz. Araynaku, hindi ba campaign manager din siya nuon ni FPJ? Ibig sabihin may dalang malas siguro.

    Habang lumalaon, ang NOynoy naming boto baka mapunta kay Erap na lang. Nahahaluan ng mga true evils ang partido LP, mabuti pa sa moderated evils na partido ni Erap.”

    martina kng ala ang mga ampatuan s maguindanao at d ginamit ang gloria’s magic panalo c FPJ….

  31. ayouth_on ayouth_on

    comment#6 “He thought going solo with no party to chain him will make him a hero and that people will be ‘magkandarapa’ to push him to go on, but nada, nothing happened even when Lito Banayo went full time to help him. Am sure in the future, kakainin niya ang statement niya na ‘ayaw niya ng nakadena sa political party’. He closed the doors and time will come he will beg for one to open.”

    antayin m ang 2013….pagka c chiz nanalo at maging #1 s senate ewan n lng natin kng ilang mga kandidato ang magssolo s 2016. alam m nman tayong mga pinoy…..SUNOD SA USO.

  32. Live coverage sa ANC News ang pag file ng Certificate of Candidacy nila Noynoy at Mar.

  33. eestrada eestrada

    I’d like to respectfully submit my disagreement with the line that since some GMA men/women have joined LP, it necessarily dilutes the party’s principles. Kung may matino ba naman sa admin ni PGMA, di mo kukunin? Such an attitude will only contribute to national divisiveness. Short of GMA herself, as well as her most rabid lapdogs, I think that everybody else should be given a fair chance, with strict evaluation of their merits of course.

  34. Bonifacio Bonifacio

    Matino si Echiverri ng Caloocan, Palawan’s Baham Mitra, Ralph Recto.

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