If you are looking for a unique form of diversion or hobby to amuse yourself or keep your mind busy during these crises-laden days,  why don’t you try observing the antics of prospective presidential contenders to create a public image as the leader the country badly needs, as the man or woman to beat?

It seems the next election is just around the corner, judging from the ingenuity and frenzy with which the presidential wannabes are pursuing their quest for power and in outsmarting each other to get to the top of the tight race. This is a crucial period when political parties start the process of sizing up the bankability and winnability of their homegrown aspirants or probable “imports” preparatory to their selection of the standard-bearer by the latter part of the year.

At no other place can you see more graphically and at close range how presidential wannabes work to fulfill their ultimate political ambition than the Senate, known as the training ground for future leaders. Here you can find the biggest concentration of aspirants who are at the forefront of the grueling fight. They include former Senate President Manuel Villar and Senators Loren Legarda, Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson, Mar Roxas and Francis Escudero.

Villar was the first to proclaim his presidential bid but it worked like a bad omen for him. When he declared in September last year that he was in the running, he was stabbed in the back by his rivals who instigated the Nov. 17 coup that caused his unceremonious exit from the Senate presidency.  They capitalized on his role in the alleged double funding of the C-5 road expansion project to mount the leadership revamp. But their real motive was to dislodge him from a strategic government post whose power, perks and resources he was allegedly using to advance his presidential plan.

With the loss of the Senate crown, Villar’s political star admittedly lost a lot of luster.  But after the coup, Villar’s ranking in the presidential surveys took a huge leap, and he even emerged as leader in some opinion polls.  Was it a natural consequence of the public sympathizing with the underdog? Or was he just reaping a bonanza from his expensive television and radio plugs espousing the virtue of  “Sipag at Tiyaga” (Industry and Perseverance) and portraying his concern for distressed overseas Filipino workers?  For a while, it seemed that Villar would maintain his dominance in the race—to the consternation of his peers who turned Brutus on him.

But in the February survey of Pulse Asia, Villar’s ranking slipped considerably.  It was Vice President Noli de Castro who retook the top spot with a score of 19 percent, followed by Escudero (17 percent), former President Joseph Estrada (16 percent) and Villar (15 percent). The others were rated as follows: Legarda (12 percent), Roxas 8 percent), Lacson (6 percent), Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (2 percent) and Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando (1 percent).

The latest survey outcome should be a rude awakening for Villar and it should make him realize that his pursuit of the presidency is still anchored on shaky ground.  Perhaps, he should change tack by broadening the range of his advocacies so that he could reach out to a wider spectrum of society.  Noticeably, the former fish vendor who rose to become a billionaire real estate developer has slackened in his Senate duties, obviously dispirited by the treachery of his former allies.  He has been dubbed Mr. Now You See, Now You Don’t in the Senate for slipping out of the session hall after each roll call.  His inactivity and apparent disdain or phobia for his senatorial duties nowadays at the risk of being dubbed Mr. Do-Nothing Senator is working to his disadvantage as a presidential hopeful.

In sharp contrast, Villar’s adversaries in the Senate are making the most of their Senate membership to boost their political stock and help them gain momentum or catch up with their rivals who are ahead of the pack.  There is Legarda who is very dynamic, creative and resourceful in pursuing endeavors that will preserve and protect the environment, which is her number one advocacy. As a pillar of the movement call Luntiang Pilipinas (Green Philippines), she has tirelessly encouraged the planting of trees in Metro Manila and other urban centers.  Legarda, who chairs the committee on environment and natural resources, has lately initiated pioneering measures to combat global warming. For her efforts, she was recently chosen by the United Nations as champion for disaster risk mitigation in Asia.

The task of an environmental warrior may not be as exciting and attractive as the mission of a graftbuster, exposing all kinds of venalities in government and society, especially in terms of news value. Articles about preserving ecological balance tend to be relegated to the sidelines, overshadowed by sensational political and crime stories. But to Legarda’s credit, this is no reason at all to feel disheartened and allow her enthusiasm for these advocacies to lose steam. To her, persuading the mass media to devote more print and broadcast space for environmental concerns is part of the challenges she has put upon her shoulders.

The Senate is a stage of limitless potentials that any member can use to promote higher political ambitions. But when a lawmaker espouses the passage of a measure or the investigation of a government scandal, how can you say that he is doing it to feather his nest instead of advancing the common good? A probe into a fund scandal is meant to find out where government’s rules and safeguards are weak, and in the course of the inquiry the perpetrators of the scam are unmasked. And this is a worthwhile task.

For his unwavering determination to get to the bottom of the cause of the collapse of the Legacy Group, Mar Roxas, chairman of the committee on trade and commerce, finds himself being accused by its principal owner, Celso de los Angeles, of cashing on in the investigation to promote his presidential ambition. De los Angeles went on to point out that even some of the catchy phrases that Roxas uttered in his committee hearing on the pre-need industry have found their way into his political ads.

The criticism thrown by the Legacy’s big boss against the senator from Capiz  may not be entirely baseless. But as we have said, the Senate is like a stage and when a member performs or pursues an endeavor, it  is impossible to make a distinction whether a lawmaker is doing something for his personal interest or for the general welfare.. The truth is, by its very nature as a legislative body, the Senate provides any member with an eye on the presidency a venue to demonstrate his capabilities as a leader and to articulate his platform of government. So what is Mr. De los Angeles griping about?

f_maragay@yahoo.com