Maniolas

Many have observed that becoming mayor of Manila is Erap’s last hurrah. It may well be just that and because of it, there is a lot at stake in terms of legacy issues in the next three years of Erap reigning supreme at Manila City Hall. Winning the election was the easy part, even if the homestretch proved to be more of a cliffhanger than most people thought. But as Dolphy once said, what do we do after we have won? For someone like Erap who had once been president of the country, vice president, senator and mayor of San Juan for the longest time, there should be nothing more to prove. But the abbreviated term of Erap in Malacañang and the corruption trial and eventual conviction and instant pardon make it necessary for Erap to prove himself all over again. If Erap failed to be the best president we ever had, he now has the opportunity to be the best mayor Manila ever had. If he manages that, maybe all will be forgiven, so to speak. He would have shown the world that what happened during EDSA 2 was undoubtedly a big and terrible mistake. Making something out of this opportunity to revive the City of Manila is a chance of a lifetime for Erap. Not many politicians are given a second chance in this grand manner. The challenges of reviving Manila can be as difficult and complicated as running the country, but maybe not as impossible. The basic Read More …