JUST three months to election day, the field of candidates for the presidency is the weirdest ever in Philippine history. Other than a disqualification (or incapacity), not a single analyst — given Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s over 50 percent ratings in the polls — will dare say it 'ain't over till it's over.'

What makes the elections a bit Kafkaesque is that Leni Robredo, billed in the running just a few months ago, is now viewed universally as a laughingstock, which even her strategists concede to be so. Every week, it seems, she makes a gaffe that makes people wonder why in the first place did the Liberal Party — or the 'Pinklawans' — ever think she could be president. How the hell do you reverse a perception of being dumb in just three months?