What about the drug tests?

A media friend told me yesterday that the two political parties now vying in the May 2007 elections are the Team Unity of Team Arroyo, or TUTA, and the Grand Alliance of the Genuine Opposition, or GAGO. Take your pick.

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His opponents should stop trying to give more publicity to senatorial candidate Alan Peter Cayetano. First, there was that fellow who claimed to be an engineer, filing his own certificate of candidacy, named "Joselito Cayetano" with the nickname of "Peter". The fellow has since been accepted by the Commission on Election, but reports have come out that he has been misrepresenting himself, because he is no engineer, and spies who went to his hometown found out that his nickname is "Jojo" and nobody knows him as Peter.

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Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez also got into the act by questioning the citizenship of Alan Peter whose mother is an American, but who was born in the Philippines. Since Alan Peter himself has stated that he had rejected American citizenship when he came of age, all they had to do was check the records. But no, they are adding more sympathy votes to the guy because Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos is taking the matter more seriously then he did the case of the bogus Peter Cayetano.

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I guess it will be very hard to keep from talking about candidates and elections when these seem to be the main course at every gathering nowadays. One of the most interesting aspects is that about the proliferation of dynasties, made even more interesting with the family feuds caused by politics. The latest one is in Batangas where the Rectos may find themselves running against each other. The husband of Vilma Santos, actress-turned-Lipa mayor has announced that she is running for governor of the province. What about his brother, who has been salivating over the post for years now, and had been voted as vice governor? Will he collide with Ate Vi?

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In the meantime, Comelec chairman Abalos continues to call like a broken record for candidates to submit drug test results with their CoCs. The test results are required under Section 36 of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. But, Abalos laments, many of the senatorial bets who filed their CoCs did not do so. Should he disqualify them? Will he dare? The law applies to both national and local candidates.

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I personally saw an example of why drug tests are necessary, not only BEFORE the election, but also AFTER it. I was invited to a rehabilitation center in Tagaytay run by a former classmate and was drawn to a dignified-looking man in his early 40s, who was among the "patients". After my classmate told me that he was an incumbent mayor of a northern Luzon town, I became more interested and requested her to ask him if I could interview him. I promised not to mention his name, of course.

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He quickly agreed to talk to me and answered my questions frankly. He said that at the height of the campaign, he hardly had time to sleep or even rest and felt as if he would drop. Then a supporter asked him to try this illegal substance (just for a time) to bouy him up. He did, and unbelievably became so energetic and full of life, he went days without sleeping and was on the go all the time. But he got hooked and went on using it even after he had won. He later got violent and had hallucinations, and vented his anger on his family, until they had to commit him to the center. But he said he had already recovered, and in fact, I have a standing invitation to visit him in his town. And that is why the test "after" should also be important.*

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