February 14th, 12:25am February 13th, 10:23pm Ninez Cacho-OlivaresFrontline

Let’s give the opposition a “B” for trying, despite knowing that its latest spiel has absolutely no basis to stand on.

The opposition, branding itself as Otso Diretso, boldly stated the midterm polls will shape up to be a referendum not only on President Duterte’s three-year administration but also on the people’s capacity to vote wisely.

“ They are all as traditional as they come, once in power and position.

Let’s take what the eight bets say with bravura, even as they don’t really believe in what they claim. Take the first claim that the May midterm polls will be a referendum on Duterte’s three years in Malacañang. Right off, these opposition bets certainly know that Duterte remains popular with the general public while the yellows — with which the Otso Diretso bets are identified, are apart from being fairly unpopular at this time, have members who are unfortunately not well known to the voting public.

But the Otso Diretso candidates seem to like the role of underdogs, saying the grassroots campaign would convince people to vote based on principle. What principle and what grassroots are these opposition bets talking about?

One of the Otsos, reelectionist Sen. Bam Aquino, claimed that “others are on the side of the President. But we are on the side of the people.”

There are strong doubts about their being on the side of the people.

They certainly didn’t prove it during the past administration of the yellow President and they were in power too!

The chances are pretty high that many of the Duterte anointed candidates will be garnering a lot more votes than the opposition bets.

Some of the anointed bets are not going to get the vote, however, even when endorsed by Duterte, because the reality is that it is always the bets who are popular, who are well-known public personalities and, of course, those who have a strong base as well as a bailiwick where a candidate can depend on for some votes. Some of Duterte’s bets are unknown entities.

Name recall counts a lot with the voters and there are also a lot of reelectionist candidates in the Duterte slate as well as returning known senators.

These alone, as the opposition bets, want these to be, already ensure that it will be a thumbs up by the voters if this is to be taken as a referendum on the current Palace tenant’s midterm policies and performance. The Otso Diretso bets already lose and easily, on this point.

On the second claim opposition bets make, which is that this election will be test on the voters’ capacity to vote wisely, this is really a case of the opposition bets insulting the people because if they don’t get the vote — and they certainly won’t be able to gain the voters’ trust — they are therefore also stating that the voters are, to put it crudely, so stupid in voting for the candidates they chose and believe in.

Voters are not stupid, but they sometimes can be lulled by say, a presidential candidate that promises the moon but ends up being a non-performer, a vindictive Chief Executive, corrupt to the core while proclaiming as “honest,” a well-known briber using public funds and abuses his power, just as a past President proved to be, which may be one reason those allied with this past President can’t even get to first base with the voters.

The political reality is that the opposition has a very weak slate. The fact alone that the opposition failed to even get 12 bets to join the group already shows the opposition’s political weakness.

And if one buys the pre-election surveys, only Mar Roxas, one of the opposition members, appears to be in on the Magic 12 slate.

But even Mar sees to distance himself from the Otso Diretso group, preferring to go it alone.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, now angling for a Senate seat, doused speculation about a rift within the coalition, stating that all eight would show a united front in the Naga rally. “We have a united message though we may have different personalities,” he said.

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno had a different take, saying the opposition campaign would zero in on its opposition to the extrajudicial killings and tax reform law.

One thing sure, these issues are hardly going to get the voters to shade the ballot in his favor.

As for former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, he said theirs is a “campaign of contrasts. We are facing off with their forces, their wealth, their tarpaulins.”

“We think the coalition endorsed by the administration is a coalition of traditional politicians, whereas we are a coalition of men and women,” he added.

And they aren’t? They are all as traditional as they come, once in power and position.

As for the vote being a referendum, it will be more of a referendum on the political opposition which will be thumbed down by the voters.

And the voters would have voted wisely too!