POOR ARITHMETIC, POOR JUDGMENT

It's truly a pity, but methinks Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has just written the obituary for his reelection bid.  His recent clash with Sen. President Juan Ponce Enrile, so far the most seasoned politician this country has at present,  was lamentably reflective of his downright immaturity  in the arena called politics.   If only he had shown that immaturity -- I hate to call it "stupidity" -- a little bit earlier, or before PNoy had put up his coalition's senatorial ticket, I doubt very much if Trillanes would have been included.

First and foremost, I wonder endlessly what had gone in between him and Enrile -- Trillanes had even said Enrile's "sins" to the people were peanuts compared to those of former CJ Coronado, yet without elaborating any further  -- to personally curse Enrile until hell.  .

I don't think Trillanes was amply supported by either good arithmetic or correct judgment when he recently announced his oust-Enrile group had just been waiting for the final nod of the 4 Liberal Party senators (Drilon, Recto, Guingona and Pangilinan) to complete at least 13, the magic number to unseat Enrile.  That is because those four (4) plus the four (4) of them (Trillanes himself, Santiago and the 2 Cayetanos) makes only 8, still very clearly short by five (5), and at best by 2, if, based on hindsight, Koko Pimental who voted for Enrile's ouster plus Bongbong Marcos and Joker Arroyo who both abstained,  were to be included.  Chances are Trillanes had also had Angara and Villar, both ex-Senate Presidents, in mind, on the belief that  either might be tempted to want to come back vice Enrile. That is where Trillanes had been quite far from the realities of politics, as well as had lacked sheer common sense, much less good judgment.

For, who among Angara, Arroyo, Santiago and Villar would still wish to be Senate President in the dying days of the present Congress?   Arroyo, Angara and Villar are already in their last terms, while Santiago will in due course go away to the International Court of Justice.   Even Drilon, whose term is up until 2016, would not be a bit interested to head the Senate, if only between now and practically the start of the campaign season in February.   Chances are Drilon may rather just be smilingly saying unto himself:  "Ala eh, loko ga si Pilo? Hihintayin ko na lang next Congress, after all, siguradong wala na akong kaagaw!"   This is where, in my humble view, Trillanes, being the  tenderfoot politician that he is,  had behaved very immaturely and unrealistically   There is reason to believe that had not Trillanes been that bombastic against Enrile, Enrile would not have done what he did.  As things were,  Enrile  had not altogether ignored nor taken the matter with a grain of salt.  He immediately convened the Senate and categorically announced his resignation.  Whether that was feigned or real is beside the point.  The point is, that was truly a grand strategy, so perfectly timed,  indeed, as to have caught the entire Senate practically unguarded.  That, in turn,  is where a veteran differs from a neophyte in the field of politics.   It's a bit ironic that Trillanes still keeps mouthing and vowing to high heavens to oust Enrile come what may before the present Congress ends.  Sign of desperation!    Whether that is his own way of campaigning for himself or against Enrile's son, Jack (surely not against the father whose term trancends to 2016), nobody really knows.  One thing is certain: so doing, he is kissing his own reelection bid goodbye,

Meanwhile, whatever President Aquino had in mind soon after that grand drama in the Senate remains to be seen.    I am sure Trillanes' supporters are hoping against hope that P-Noy doesn't regret having adopted Trillanes into the administration's political folds.