Right after the forces of General Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs repulsed the American attempt at an invasion of Cuba, then President John F Kennedy said: "There was an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan." This was first said by Count Caleazzo Ciano, an Italian diplomat and son-in-law of Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. The passage is found as an entry of September 9, 1942 of the Ciano Diaries. Ciano later fled to Germany after Mussolini was captured and executed by partisans. Adolf Hitler and German Foreign Minister Joachim Von Ribbentrop blamed Ciano for the defeat of Mussolini and he, too, was executed for this. We recall the words of Ciano because they sound apropos in the wake of the victory of Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III for the presidency and the possible defeat of Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas for the Vice Presidency. Already several factions in the camp of Senator Aquino are jockeying for positions, for themselves and/or for their protgs in the new administration, broadly hinting of course of their contribution to the campaign. Among these are the Hyatt Ten who resigned en masse from the Cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the wake of the "Hello, Garci" scandal and tried to set up Vice President Noli de Castro for the presidency. Their attempt was frustrated, and they segued into supporting the candidacy of Aquino. Roxas who had earlier announced plans to make a run for the presidency himself, started Aquino's drive by "sliding down" instead and announced his support for his Senate colleague's candidacy. With Roxas behind in the unofficial count, commentators backing Aquino's bid have been gingerly disputing each other as to why Senator Roxas found himself in the hole he is now. As Congress prepared to do its constitutional duty to canvass the votes for the two national positions, there were fears that the new Vice President may not be proclaimed. To mark time, the media have been concentrating on stories about why the first automated elections may not be as successful as it was cracked up to be. Peripheral issues, an increase in electoral protests and supposed failures in some mechanisms to check the accuracy and veracity of the results continue to float but the people may rest assured that there will be a new President, at least, when July 1 comes around. For Aquino, the 100-day honeymoon is already in full swing even before his official term has started. As is usual under the circumstances, there is no lack of speculations as to who will be named into the official family of the new President. The President-elect cannot confirm or deny any of the speculations until he can make the official announcements after he has taken his oath of office. Former President Fidel Ramos was a very minority president, having won with only some 23 percent of the vote. And yet by dint of sharp political leadership, he was able to set up a very strong administration. Aquino may be said to have won by the biggest landslide so far, but he is still a minority president having less that 50 percent of the vote. More people voted against him than for him. And with opposition (so far split) groups threatening to gain control of the Senate and the House, Aquino may have to do some fancy political stepping. But that's too early in the day to think about. We shall see after the standard 100-day honeymoon for new office holders. - Manila Times Online