Cayetano also wants to be president

MANILA, Philippines - After Vice President Jejomar Binay staked his place on the starting line in the 2016 presidential race, other aspirants are following suit.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said he is also seeking the highest post in the land and has started preparations for a possible bid in 2016.

Cayetano told ANC yesterday that he wants to be president but could not say for sure if he would move for 2016 or some time later.

“I want to be president of this country some day. I think I can do something great for God and our people. But is 2016 my time or is it 2022, 2028 or never?” he said.

Even though he said he has not yet decided, Cayetano admitted he has started preparing for a possible bid.

For starters, Cayetano has hired former ad man Greg Garcia III as his adviser, a move that reinforces his plan to run for the presidency in 2016.

Garcia, the former CEO of Hemisphere-Leo Burnett, is no stranger to the political scene, having served as the image consultant of former senator Panfilo Lacson when he made his own bid for the presidency in 2004.

“He’s (Garcia) an expert and he’s really gifted by God at advertising. But he used to run a firm that used to work for Americans. So in his advertising firm, he always used experts. He’s like a second father to me,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano refused to confirm if his camp would be coming out with an advertising campaign in the next few months, but given the fact that he has hired Garcia, this could well happen.

“Everyone who knows Greg Garcia knows that he will always push for ads,” he said.

Cayetano’s camp has also started commissioning pollsters to find out how he stacks up against the competition.

Specifically, Cayetano targeted Binay in his internal polls and said there are certain areas of the country where he was able to score higher than the Vice President.

“Is it a fluke? Why do they like me there better?” Cayetano said.

Cayetano reiterated he has no intention of pursuing the vice presidency because this would be viewed as being nothing but a stepping stone toward the presidency.

“It’s like a flat tire. I was once a vice mayor. I was allied with the mayor but his people and my people did nothing but sow intrigue between us. Those people kept on hoping that one of us would be removed,” he said.

When asked for a categorical answer if he would run for the presidency in 2016, Cayetano said he does not want to run, but rather, he wants to win, adding, “Running is easy.”

Cayetano said the people have an important choice to make in 2016 because the wrong choice could set the country back and put to waste all of the developments achieved in the current administration.