Continuity

The early trending of preference for the next President of the country indicated the voters’ choice has not gelled in favor of a particular candidate. Obviously, it is still anybody’s game.

President Aquino decried anew his administration critics and political foes for their penchant to spread lies against him, including false claims on his state of health. In his first public appearance following rumors of his supposed “collapse” last Friday night (March 20), the 55-year-old President Aquino re-emerged in full public view last Monday and deplored purported attempts to mislead the people with wrong information.

As far as President Aquino sees it, such attempts were obviously meant to weaken his power to endorse his chosen presidential candidate to best succeed him in office. Duh?      

In the first quarter survey of Pulse Asia, the approval and trust ratings of President Aquino dipped again. The survey was done from March 1 to 7, or the period following the tragic Mamasapano incident. 

Senate president Franklin Drilon turned out as the most trusted government official with 44% trust rating. Vice President Jejomar Binay who has been roiling over Senate investigations into his alleged corruption while he was then mayor of Makati City, came second with 42% trust rating.

President Aquino came in third with 36%. From the survey record of Pulse, this is the lowest trust and approval ratings of Mr. Aquino since he assumed office at Malacañang in 2010. 

With just 14 months before the next presidential elections in May 2016, Pulse Asia also released last week the results of its latest survey showing who are among the most preferred candidates.

If elections are held now, the Pulse Asia pre-polls survey showed VP Binay still leading the presidential race with 29%. Sen. Grace Poe came in far second with 14% while ex-President and now Mayor Joseph Estrada of Manila and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte tied at third, both having 12%.

Poe actually dropped slightly after surging to 18% in the November survey of Pulse Asia. Estrada improved from 10% in the same survey. Duterte was a surprise addition in the latest survey because he was not included in previous surveys.   

Ailing Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago came in fifth place but she dropped from 12% in November to 9% in the latest survey. Santiago earlier declared she wanted Duterte as a possible runningmate if she decides to run for president.

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., from Nacionalista Party (NP), placed sixth with 6%. This was slightly higher than the 4% he got in November. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas got 4% of voters’ preference. His latest rating is even lower than the 6% he got in the November survey.

The other probable presidential candidates included Sen. Francis Escudero (independent) with 4%; Senate majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano (NP) with 3%; Sen. Antonio Trillanes (NP) with 2%; former senator Panfilo Lacson (Ind) with 1%; and former senator Richard Gordon with 1%.

The early trending of preference for the next President of the country indicated the voters’ choice has not gelled in favor of a particular candidate. Obviously, it is still anybody’s game.

Last Tuesday, Sen. Santiago declared businessman Manny Pangilinan as a potential presidential candidate. But Pangilinan immediately doused it, saying he is not a politician.

The gates for the presidential race will open this October.

This after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) published the notice at The STAR yesterday that the filing of certificates of candidacy would start from Oct. 12 to 16.

Except for VP Binay, all these identified probable presidential candidates have not formally declared yet any intention to run in 2016.

Appearing as our featured guest at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Luneta Hotel last Wednesday, Mayor Estrada hemmed and hawed when asked several times if he would consider another run for the presidency in next year’s elections. Estrada came in a close second to President Aquino during the May 2010 presidential elections.

For now, Mayor Estrada says he would like to continue with his goals to restore Manila back to its glory days as the capital city of the Philippines. Pressed if he would consider Poe or Lacson as runningmate, Estrada again sidestepped the question, citing both are very good candidates for the presidency or as vice president.

Estrada also gave high marks for Roxas as another very good candidate for higher office and cited him for good qualities of a leader as one of his Cabinet members during his shortened presidency.

As the highest elected official of the Liberal Party (LP), Mr. Aquino is looked upon by his partymates to give them marching orders who to support in the next presidential elections.

Roxas, who ran but lost as Mr. Aquino’s vice presidential runningmate during the May 2010 elections, has a pending electoral protest against VP Binay. Once he files his COC, this protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) would be deemed withdrawn.

While he may be LP’s presumptive presidential candidate, Roxas still is not sure if he will get P-Noy’s endorsement. It is an open secret that Binay, to the consternation of Roxas, got the support of the presidential sisters in May 2010.

Asked by reporters in Zamboanga City while he was there last week on an official visit, Binay, the wily politician replied he is “open” to the possibility of having Roxas as his vice presidential running mate in next year’s elections. Of course, this must be taken with a grain of salt.

Everything declared by these presidential wannabes at this stage are all in the realm of projections. At the end of the day, to borrow P-Noy’s favorite phrase, the choice of presidential and vice presidential team-up would ultimately be a decision by the political party and its allies in the coalition.

Yesterday, the Comelec first division approved the accreditation of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, in coalition with Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, as a full-fledged political party. President Aquino’s LP has not openly made any party statements on a continued alliance with NP.

While pushing for unnamed successor to pursue the reforms his administration started, President Aquino, however, keeps close to his chest who is the candidate he believes could best represent continuity of his “daang matuwid” path for the country.