Rumored rift between Grace and Chiz

Why is Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte now winning in the presidential surveys without a strong party machinery which rivals former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Vice President Jojo Binay have?

Because people are sick and tired of traditional politicians—or what are derisively called “trapos”—which Roxas and Binay definitely are.

Trapos promise the moon and the stars which, of course, are beyond reach.

Even Sen. Grace Poe, although a neophyte politician, is now considered a trapo with the way she talks and invokes the “legacy” of her father, actor Fernando Poe Jr., when there is no legacy to speak of, unless she meant his legacy to Filipino movies.

Poe’s glibness is her undoing; she talks in a smooth and easy way which shows insincerity.

People have seen through her insincerity because she talks like a door-to-door salesman.

This means most voters now are more intelligent and discerning than in the past.

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Why is Bongbong Marcos, son and namesake of the late dictator, leading in the vice presidential surveys?

Because people consider him an underdog—what with all those brickbats he’s getting from all sides—and people root for the underdog.

Although I am rooting for Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo because of her incomparable humility—she rides a bus from Bicol to Manila and back—and also because she would give a feminine side to a macho Duterte administration if they both got elected, she should stop hitting the elder Marcos.

The more Robredo and the other vice presidential candidates hit Bongbong because of the sins of his father, the more people remember his name on Election Day.

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The scuttlebutt has it that Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero are at loggerheads over the campaign money handled by Grace’s husband, Neil Llamanzares.

The rumor goes that Chiz is complaining  he and the senatorial candidates are not getting their fair share of the campaign contributions.

The funds reportedly increased substantially  after the Supreme Court allowed Grace to run for the presidency.

Chiz was said to have complained he has fewer TV commercials, while Grace gets a lot of  exposure on TV and radio.

Llamanzares, an American citizen, is allegedly a tightwad when it comes to sharing the  campaign budget  with his wife’s running mate.

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The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will soon have a ship in its fleet of rescue and cargo vehicles.

The ship, a roll-on roll-off type, is a former US Navy troopship built three years ago.

PRC Chair Dick Gordon bought the ship, which will arrive in June this year, for $1.75 million, a great bargain.

Formerly called  MV Susitna, it was built at a cost of $80 million and given to the State of Alaska by the US Navy.

“It was a ship nobody wanted because Alaska had no use for it,” said Gordon.

The ship, which can carry 10 trucks and 1,000 passengers, will be used to land relief goods in any part of the archipelago.

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SM Prime Holdings is on a roll.

After bagging the Best Developer Award last year, SM Prime took seven awards at a real estate event held April 7 at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

The awards were for Best Commercial Development, Best Retail Development, Best Retail Architectural Design for SM Seaside City in Cebu, Best Hotel Development, Best Hotel Architectural Design, Best Hotel Interior Design for The Conrad Manila and Best Affordable Condo Development.