If there’s anything unpredictable these days, certainly it is not the weather: It’s the current political environment.

And why not?

Who would think, for instance, that Noynoy Aquino would be vying for the presidency so soon, if at all?

What has he done to even dare think of it? What gave him courage?

His Mom, Cory, as he himself has repeatedly said, had advised him to finish his term as senator, and according to former Senator Butz Aquino, his uncle, running for president was Noynoy’s own decision.

And then, there is former President Joseph Estrada who had been raging to regain his lost political domain who is now amenable to being Noynoy’s running mate.

Can you beat that? I mean the oddity of it all – the freakishness and all that – probably only in Philippine politics.

And this is not to mention about Mar Roxas’ jolting turn-around to withdraw from what was expected of him to accomplish as a matter of honor and obligation to his lineage and the nation. A lot of people are asking why?

Regarding Estrada’s likelihood of becoming a teammate in the Noynoy-Erap tandem, it must be mentioned that Aquino was incredulous when it was first bruited  about, but the former president obviously was not. He immediately intimated it could be possible.

He said so at the Rotary Club of Makati meeting at the Peninsula Hotel recently, “depending on how we agree.”

They have not formally talked about it but Noynoy was hoping some intermediaries would set up the meeting to thresh out issues, including the merger of all opposition parties.

“I have to give him due respect as a former Chief Executive, and a political senior,” the senator said.

Actually, the young Aquino is not even responsive to the idea of Erap becoming his vice presidential teammate, preferring instead Senator Mar Roxas with whom he already talked about it and was only asking for more time for a definite answer.

Since Estrada started going around the country after President Gloria Arroyo granted him pardon after his plunder conviction by the Sandiganbayan, he had been preaching self-sacrifice for “presidentiables” to set aside their ambitions for the unity of the opposition.

Now it appears Erap is prepared to practice what he preaches by sacrificing to slide down as a vice presidential candidate instead of leading the opposition slate.

Of course, this is unheard of in Philippine political history but it could be the best alternative to running for president which remains under question under the limitation imposed by the Constitution that says, “The president shall not be eligible for any reelection” (Art. VII, sec. 4).

Estrada has repeatedly said he would run for president only if the opposition fails to proclaim a single standard bearer in next year’s polls. Of course, he does not expect Manny Villar, president of the Nacionalista Party to give way to Noynoy. And so are the others who have already proclaimed their candidacies and have long been campaigning in advance of the time allowed by the election laws.

What may be gleaned from all these restraints and possibilities is the single-minded focus on winning the elections, deemphasizing consideration of the candidate’s ability to govern, and that is sad.

It is, ultimately, a debasement of Philippine politics into another form of huckstering, to say the least.

(zhern_218@yahoo.com)