From campaign. . .

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

THE LEADING Alyansa ng Pag-asa senatorial candidate described the 1,000-car motorcade that brought their standard-bearer Raul Roco triumphantly through the yellow confetti of Makati on Wednesday in broad, optimistic terms. "This is the groundswell of support that will be the turning point of the campaign," former Solicitor General Frank Chavez told reporters.

Brave talk, but not rooted in reality. Roco's return from an unanticipated two-week medical leave in the United States was not the turning point in his campaign, if by that phrase we mean the start of a dramatic turnaround in his electoral fortunes. Certainly there was drama in his homecoming; there was mystery, because of his medical condition; and there was history, with Roco's yellow shirt and the passage through Ayala Avenue designed to bridge two decades and link his candidacy with the political legacy of his hero, Ninoy Aquino.

But the outpouring of support does not mean that Roco will reclaim the commanding heights of the election surveys he occupied last year. Time is not on his side. Neither is momentum.

His return-hyped with the use of the iconic yellow ribbon-may arrest the decline in his survey ratings. It may even lead to a rebound in his poll numbers. But it would be folly to expect his ratings to jump up to the 30 percent level, where he would be within striking distance of the two front runners.

Before his medical condition became a national cause of concern, ...