There exists some stupid political strategists in local electoral battles, that with allies like them GMA does not really need enemies.

Take the case of incumbent mayor and Opposition (UNO) President Jejomar "Rambotito" Binay of the premier city of Makati - who will be reelected via landslide. Yes, even if Binay begs the Makati folks not to vote for him and challenger actor - former senator Lito Lapid buys all the holy masses in Makati to pray for Binay's defeat.

More than a week before election, suspension orders - on cases of plunder, corruption and tax evasion - were lodged on the embattled Jojo Binay on a Friday night - to obviously prevent a TRO from happening. Political harassment to the core, even those who did not like Binay's image and hated his color and Napoleonic height, were agitated to come to his rescue. Sobra naman talaga.

Objectively, that could have produced a political blizzard that would have a backlash that this Administration may not have survived. Or will survive with broken ribs and a face that would require a major plastic surgery. The Palace blinked - as GMA fumed over this new political faux pa. The suspension order was withdrawn till after the election period.

But the damage has been done and the political stock of Binay rose - much higher than his height - and his previous unanimous decision over Lapid transformed into a first round knockout victory. Now, even if all the dead in the Makati would vote again - Lapid will still lose by landscape (as Erap said). And Binay will issue (once more) those anti-GMA rally permits after his sure-ball reelection.

This was the same pattern done on Party List leader Anak Bayan representative Satur Ocampo. Two months before the election, he was arrested for old charges of political murders decades ago - perhaps to prevent him from campaigning. The Supreme Court spanked the Administration and Ocampo was allowed bail.

Thanks to these stupid political dumb-dumbs, the radical party list groups of Anak Bayan, Anak Pawis, Gabriela and moderate left of center groups like Akbayan are now leading the survey nationwide for the May 14 polls. The groundswell of sympathy of even those who don't know Marx from Mao just went to the harassed victims.

Manila City seats Malacañang, so it is a dangerous political fiefdom to cede to popular oppositionist Panfilo Lacson (who initially wanted to be Manila mayor). The nail-biting nervous wrecks of the Administration hurriedly asked world renowned boxer Manny Pacquiao to swim all the way from General Santos City and buy a condominium in Manila to effect residence - just in case.

The Palace panicked that a Lacson as mayor in Manila will see the granting of rally permits all the way to Mendiola - the thunderous roar of the crowd enough to make Ermita and Bunye shake inside their boots. Things have changed since then though (Lacson opted to be senator) - and Pacquiao was asked to swim back and fight the fiery anti-GMA stalwart Darlene Antonino Custodio - just to make sure she is one less vote for GMA's new impeachment round in July.

The strategists know the poor boxer can't really be a good congressman - and even endanger his boxing career with a congressional distraction. But what price will desperate men not pay to insure victory? Let's proceed.

Surprisingly, the Palace might yet lose the city of Manila from an Atienza spell as a La Salle survey showed the latest Manila trend: (former vice mayor) Danny Lacuna (40%), Fred Lim (28%) and Ali Atienza (27%).

From the center of justice, our own Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzales publicly offered an "incentive" of P10,000 for every barangay that can deliver 12-0 for Team Unity in his native Iloilo City. People were shocked at this blatant act of constitutional violation without a peep from the Comelec and the Palace.

People are amused that these acts do not seem to reflect that of a confident Administration who cockily trotted they have all local positions locked in their favor. At the very last, these desperate acts turn off people.

Out there in Pampanga, people know that the choice for governor is between a "Jueteng Queen" and "Quarry King" - each accusing the other as an illegal games operator and a corrupt quarry kickback-receiver respectively. Both seem to be supported by the Administration - what kind of candidates are they sponsoring? No wonder the numbers supporting the alternative politician, Fr. Eddie Panlilio, are swelling by the day.

In Naga City, popular mayor (Magsaysay Awardee) Jesse Rebredo was suspended on an old citizenship issue that was already ruled over twice by the Comelec in the mayor's favor. Any incumbent they cannot beat in a fair election, the Administration would suspend for trumped up reason? What kind of politics do we have?

Even trapo-extraordinaire speaker JDV is on the verge of losing even in his turf to a more visible local political kingpin named Benjie Lim that "Sunshine Joe" has called on FVR and GMA to publicly raise his hands. Invitations to Santa Claus and Kobe Bryant to the same have reportedly been extended - the resident clowns joked.

Down south in Batangas, the Recto feud last month had unwittingly spilled too many unintended beans that political realignment had to be fixed. Current governor Armand Sanchez is widely suspected to be a big-time protector of the illegal numbers game in southern Luzon. The older Recto (Ricky) was allegedly asked to go slow in lambasting Sanchez because the latter knew too much where the fruits of jueteng were finding their way into the citadels of the powers-that-be.

Now that Sanchez is politically untenable and morally indefensible, the Administration has charmed popular actress (Lipa City mayor) to run against the corpulent Sanchez, with Ricky as congressman and younger (Ralph) as TU senator. That figures.

There have even been talks that Boholano-actor director Cesar Montano was shoved into senate arena to preclude him from dipping his fingers into local politics which truth to tell, he may have an inside track, better than most newcomers.

Such is the state of our nation today. Political games are played with rules changed midstream to accommodate some moral ambivalence. Machiavelli could have learned a thing or two about the apparent horse trading and political brinksmanship.

But there are political moves like that on Binay, Ocampo, Rebredo, the recent attempt on the life of son of Brother Eddie Villanueva of the 5 million-strong JIL Movement, the illegal wiretapping of the phone of Cory Aquino, and the scandalous "public electoral bribery" offered by no less than the Justice Secretary of this country that shocks our sensitivities and destroys our concept of a level playing field in politics.

But in the world of karma, the negative backlash of these moves could be far worse on those who had designed these vicious plans to railroad the election towards a monolithic party. A one dominant party is never good for any democracy.

In that sense, all these aggravations, therefore lead to nothing but political hara kiri. Why is GMA tolerating them? Or is she?