'Please do well'

A QUOTE from Dickens would put into context what political campaigns are: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..." The adrenaline rush of a presidential campaign is truly high-octane. Ground is the most crucial element in a political campaign because that is where conversion is made. Reading the pulse of the voters and looking at signs will tell you about changing terrains that could be the basis for a quantum leap. The book "Kingmaker" documented that.

This was what Victor Rodriguez saw in 1998 — that the country was ready to move on from the narratives of EDSA. That he stood by Marcos Jr. when he was down after losing in 2016, to orchestrating a disciplined and punishing campaign never seen in Philippine political history — a second chance for a Marcos comeback in 2022.