STAYING PUT: Notwithstanding his threat to vanish from the scene, Sixto Brillantes Jr. is not resigning as chairman of the Commission on Elections. Why should he?

In business, leaving the poll agency at this time would be tantamount to what they call opportunity lost. In child psychology, his antics might be seen as a case of temper tantrum. In the navy, it could be looked down upon as the captain abandoning a sinking ship.

It also means that President Noynoy Aquino is not keen on mercifully packing him off as ambassador to an obscure East European post. (Btw, Mr. Aquino was his valued client in the 2010 presidential elections whose computerized integrity Brillantes now defends to the death.)

So, we are back to the question of what to do with the unverified source code running the PCOS machines, the rewritable CF (compact flash) cards ruining the integrity of poll results, the computers replacing the human precinct inspectors in signing and validating the returns,et cetera ad failure of election.

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IMPEACHMENT: The big question now giving nightmares to those still in the dark is: Will PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) decide which party will rule the Senate and the House after the May 13 midterm election?

Control of both chambers of the Congress is crucial because, among other reasons, it could be raining impeachment cases on the downhill slope of the latter half of the Aquino term.

There are some people, Oliver Lozano not one of them, who are just waiting for the “cause of action” that could trigger their finalizing and filing impeachment complaints against some key players in government.

Of course, like Comelec resignations, these claimed intentions to initiate impeachment could be mere threats, something like the howling of dogs scared of unseen intruders.

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UNA DWARFS LP: One wonders if the Liberal Party-led administration coalition worries about the lackluster attendance in its provincial rallies.

In its kickoff rally at Plaza Independencia in Cebu City last February, the “emerging opposition” United Nationalist Alliance gathered a crowd of more than 50,000.

The counterpart Liberal Party miting de avance at historic Plaza Miranda was attended by some 5,000 — and this was in the national capital where Malacañang is and where LP Mayor Alfredo Lim is kingpin.

In its own gathering later in Cebu, the LP reportedly mustered not more than 5,000 at Fuente Osmeña.

In Cagayan de Oro, while UNA packed 60,000, the LP could gather not more than 5,000. The same lopsided attendance had been noted in Baguio where the LP was met by a sparse crowd of less than 3,000, smaller than UNA’s 5,000.

Administration rallies should draw more people even just by the sheer presence of President Aquino, who has taken the midterm election as a referendum on his administration.

The presidential security alone adds considerably to the crowd. Then there is the reported distribution of Philhealth cards and sums said to be part of conditional cash transfer funds.

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WHERE’S EVERYBODY?: In Passi City, Iloilo, the other Wednesday, only Jamby Madrigal of the Team Pinoy’s Senate slate showed up at the LP rally in the gymnasium, which was loose with an crowd of only 1,500.

She spoke briefly, then left for Sta. Barbara town before President Aquino arrived to find none of his dozen senatorial bets. The Sta. Barbara crowd was smaller at 1,000. The attendance in both rallies was noticed to be smaller than those on the President’s earlier visit.

Too bad not that many Ilonggos saw the big guns that Mr. Aquino brought with him –Sen. Franklin Drilon, Interior Secretary Manuel  Roxas, and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya — all 2016 presidential wannabes getting an early feel of the ground.

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LOCAL TARGETS: The President has this habit of insulting and whaling away at local officials in vote-rich provinces where the campaign takes him.

In his second sortie in Laguna (1.5 million voters) two weeks ago, he humiliated Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito, the actor whom he wanted replaced with the LP candidate Rep. Egay San Luisof the fourth district. He told the crowd that what the province needs are real, not movie, heroes.

The attack on opposition leaders in key provinces is not confined to speeches. Gov. Gwen Garcia of Cebu (2.5 million voters) has been suspended for alleged corruption and driven out of the capitol until after the May 13 elections.

Her situation recalls that of Gov. Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan (1.6 million voters). After he was slapped with plunder charges in connection with the illegal jueteng gambling, Espino was linked to the December 2012 killing of Infanta Mayor Ruperto Martinez.

In the last LP rally in Cavite (1.6 million voters), the President also fired away at opposition Gov. Jonvic Remulla. As the President’s words carry weight, the damage on his local targets cannot be minimized.

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SOLID NORTH: There has been noted a seeming coming together of the so-called Solid North for many UNA candidates they can identify with, despite a reportedmodus vivendi between the Marcoses and President Aquino.

Gov. Chavit Singson of Ilocos Sur (350,000 voters) has cast his lot with UNA, adding to the growing support noticed in Pangasinan where the Nationalist People’s Coalition reportedly resented the administration’s rough handling of Gov. Espino.

Among the favorites in the UNA’s jampacked rallies in Villasis, Urdaneta, Calasiao and Umingan was former senator Ernie Maceda, who was well received because he spoke the dialect and knew folk psychology.

Besides, LP rallies are minimal not only in populous Pangasinan but also in La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Expect the LP to scour the area soon.