Two weeks ago, a sinister grapevine voice told the Chronicle.

Alongside the announcement of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro as a Palace 2010 trial pigeon for the presidency, would erupt a series of "demolition jobs"against presidentiables.

No, of course, Teodoro had nothing to do with that. He is a mere trial balloon.

True to form, the decaying tale of the vicious murder of class-A politiial public relations man Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Orbito were brought to life.Implicated were former Police chief (then)senator Panfilo Lacson and former President Joseph Estrada.

The infamous quote: " Ligpitin na natin si Delta (Dacer), sir (Lacson) , kasi naiirita na si Bigote (Erap)". The would-be-state witnesses would be Lacson's former wards at the police (PAOTF) former police superintendents Cesar Mancao and Glenn Dumlao, both in hiding in the United States.

The latest Pulse Asia Survey showed presidentiables Erap(16%) and Lacson (6%).

Next on the list, we were told, would be vice president Noli De Castro, an independent, who run with GMA in the 2004 - an an election marred by allegations of fraud.Does the Palace not trust De Castro (Housing Czar) who was known to be parcel of the so-called Wednesday Group of senators in the past? De Castro leads the survey pack at( 19%.)
Days after, not only was accused plunderer (P 12-Billion) Legacy owner Celso de los Angeles linked as a contributor to de Castro's electoral campaign through tarpaulins but was alleged to have gifted the vice president with a idyllic island paradise off the Leyte Gulf area. De Castro, in a rare fit, has seen been fuming.

The fourth alleged target will be former senate president Manny Villar (14%) in the survey. His banking ownership of Capitol Bank and alleged unsound banking practices will be brought to the fore to destroy Villar, also former speaker of the House of Representatives, whose wife Cynthia is still a regular member.

Our Deep Throat has been awfully acccurate up to this point.

Maverick ,outspoken senator Lacson has been GMA and First Gentleman's nemesis, detonating bombs of exposes since the time he donned a senator's vest. His latest linked the First Gentleman to the World-Bank road project scandal that resulted in the suspension of three Filipino contractor-firms.

The latest SWs survey had identified three new flagships of corruption today (in order) : (1) DPWH (2) PNP and (3) Department of Agrciulture. In the past the all-time winners perenially were: the BIR and Bureau of Customs. Last week, the second highest man of DPWH (Undersecretary Manuel Aquino) was ambushed and murdered near his office.

Lacson who hounded the Jose Pidal issue up to America is also remembered to have been linked with the rub-out /shootout of the Kuratong Baleleng gang-prisoners , where millions of pesos in robbery loot disappeared in the aftermath. Estrada,has maintained his innocence vehemently and declared that the word "Bigote" could mean anyone, Erap quips, including former GMA Cabinet secretary Hernando"Nani" Perez.

From out of these darkeing shadows -flew a new political trial tandem last week in non-traditional candidate Pampanga Governor (priest) Among Panlilio and (polio- stricken and broadcaster awardee) Isabela Governor Grace Padaca. It has divided the Catholic hierarchy.

Panlilio bucked GMA country politics by defeating the symbols of Pampanga's ills: provincial board member Lilia Pineda ( wife of suspected jueteng lord Bong Pineda) and then incumbent quarry king Governor Mark Lapid (son of senator Lito Lapid). Padaca, in turn, shocked Philippine politics, by knocking out the powerful Dy dynasty out of power.

The political experiment could yet take off the ground - the groundswell coming from discontented Filipinos here and abroad - of the traditonal politicians running the country to the ground.

So says, Joey Bermudez, current president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), himself a political activist turned banker - who spent some weeks inside the bartolina for his political views in the Martial Law era.

Palace barker Cerge Remonde wisely welcomed the Panlilio Possibility -saying the more candidates, the better.

Which is actually true -in that in a multi-candidate election, a lone administration candidate can sneak into the 2010 presidency. Are they all falling to an Administration ruse?

For a Panlilio candidacy will certainly eat into the Opposition vote.

But some people are seriously taking his candidacy -starting with an Internet -based fund raising campaign like that done by president-elect Barrack Obama (USA).

Come to think of it if some 2 million of overseas and middle class Filipinos contribute P 1,000 each, that would translate ot P 2-Billion, the amount needed to launch a realistically competitive presidential battle.

Don't look too far to 2010- the headline news today is telling the whole story already.

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