‘FPJ to self-destruct if he keeps platform unknown’

"No more tinsel, celluloid pretensions."

Fernando Poe Jr. may "self-destruct" if he remains silent about his program of government, fellow presidential aspirant Raul Roco said.

Candidates bidding for the presidency "owe it to the Filipino people" to outline their plans on how they are going to run the country and solve its numerous problems, the former education secretary told reporters in an interview yesterday. "He will disappear in the dark (if Poe fails to explain his platform)."

Sincerity is not the only necessary qualification in leading the country, Roco said, and voters should examine the track records and proposed programs of government of candidates.

"The candidate must explain what an elementary graduate will do in Malacañang. Will he use the place as a drinking place for his buddies? He must explain his positions," he said.

"The only way the Filipino people will bless the candidate is if he can explain his vision, if he can explain his platforms, if he can explain his qualifications," Roco said.

Poe, a high school dropout, is favored to win the May 10 presidential race because of his movie star popularity despite his lack of experience in holding public office .

His rivals have been pressuring him to participate in a televised debate meant to thresh out each other’s programs of government but he has declined.

Critics charge Poe is avoiding a debate to hide his shortcomings.

The political novice has tried to brush aside such challenges, saying "debates divide the people. And they are just talk. They don’t really do anything to help the masses."

"Nonsense, absolute nonsense," Roco retorted. "How can you unify the country if you don’t speak out?"

Roco said Poe should take his cue from deposed President Joseph Estrada, who participated in two presidential debates during the 1998 election which the college dropout won by a landslide because of his movie star popularity.

Unlike Poe, Estrada began his political career as mayor of San Juan town in the late 1960s. He used his popularity to win a Senate seat in 1987, the vice presidency in 1992 and the presidency in 1998.

"He had 20 years experience as mayor and he could not have become one if he was not smart. In the Senate (where Estrada and Roco were once colleagues), he had one-liners but he could not speak straight English," Roco said.

President Arroyo replaced Estrada, a close friend of Poe, 31 months into his term following popular protests over massive corruption allegations in January 2001.

Doubts over Poe’s capability to run the country enabled Mrs. Arroyo to overtake him in the latest voter surveys of the country’s main polling firms, Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Poe had a commanding lead over Mrs. Arroyo — with a 37-percent rating as opposed to her 28.7 percent — in the previous SWS poll taken at the beginning of February.

But in the following poll conducted two weeks later, Poe had fallen to second spot with 30.5 percent, trailing Mrs. Arroyo’s 31.8 percent.

A survey taken by Pulse Asia in mid-February showed that 31.9 percent would vote for Mrs. Arroyo while 31.7 percent would elect Poe.

Although Mrs. Arroyo and Poe are in a virtual tie, Mrs. Arroyo’s ratings were a dramatic comeback. Her aides predict Mrs. Arroyo would widen her lead as the campaign continues to unfold.

Mrs. Arroyo trailed Poe in voter polls since she announced in October last year that she would seek a full six-year term.

One political analyst, Earl Parreño, said he doubted whether any poll could truly reflect what would happen at the ballot box.

But Poe’s rating "may have been pulled down by his refusal to go out and explain his platform and discuss issues."

Mrs. Arroyo says the latest SWS survey proved that Filipino voters want someone with experience in running the country and that her track record would win her a full six-year term.

She has increased the pressure on Poe, challenging him to debate on his program of government.

But Poe’s camp said the scheduled televised debate is just a ploy to discredit their candidate. Poe will come out with television infomercials to explain his program of government.

Despite his very public persona as an actor, Poe is a man of few words. Even in his films he usually let his fists do the talking.

In his kick-off rally at the beginning of the campaign period, his Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino coalition released a "social covenant" that gave some clues on Poe’s position on economic issues.

To remedy the country’s chronic budget deficit, Poe said government must carry out "drastic cost cutting measures on non-essential expenditures" and "institute bold tax reforms to improve revenue collection."

He said the government must "explore the possibility of a balanced budget," but did not give details.

Poe also said government must ensure "food security" by increasing funds for rural infrastructure and use foreign aid to finance low interest credit windows for farmers and fishermen.

He also said the government would boost health insurance coverage to 90 percent of the population by 2007 but did not elaborate. He also said the police should be cleaned of "rogue elements."

The covenant also called for "an in-depth review" into reforming the country’s current form of government from a presidential system to a parliamentary one.

Poe has been meeting with businessmen to allay their concern that he is not qualified to run the country.

He met with local businessmen during yesterday’s campaign sortie in Ormoc City, Leyte, after speaking to the crowd for almost 20 minutes.

Poe won a major political victory last Wednesday when the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking his disqualification on citizenship grounds.

The petitioner, lawyer Victorino Fornier, said he will seek reconsideration.

The ruling put a damper on the presidential bid of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who has been trying to get a united opposition backing.

Commenting on the ruling, pro-administration congressmen Prospero Nograles of Davao City and Monico Puentevella of Bacolod City, expect Lacson to increase pressure on Mrs. Arroyo to boost his presidential bid.

Lacson, who has been campaigning on an anti-corruption platform, earlier said he would put Mrs. Arroyo’s husband behind bars if he were elected president.

He accuses First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo of using secret local bank accounts under the name Jose Pidal to launder millions of pesos. Mr. Arroyo denies the charge. — With Roberto Dejon