I’m still the underdog – Mar

MANILA, Philippines - Who’s the underdog now?

Everyone seems to want that distinction, as presidential bets for the 2016 elections are scrambling to gain sympathy from voters.

Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II claims that he is the underdog. 

“I think there is a squabble as to who is the underdog, but we are the underdog, right?” said Roxas, whose popularity rating has improved significantly after being endorsed by President Aquino.

“We started at four percent and they were the frontrunner at some point. Vice President (Jejomar) Binay was at 60 percent, Sen. Grace (Poe) was like at 40 or 50 percent,” Roxas told reporters in Iloilo last Thursday.

Roxas was reacting to the claim of Binay that he is the underdog in the polls.

Binay defeated Roxas during the vice presidential race in 2010. Roxas, however, filed an electoral protest and called for a review of the automated election system because of technical glitches.  

In a previous statement, Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said the Vice President is fighting an uphill battle against those who are bent on continuing a regime of social inequality.

Roxas claimed the underdog tag even if he has overtaken Binay for second place in the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released early this week.

The survey showed Roxas’ score surging to 39 percent from 21 percent in June. His score edged Binay’s 35 percent but paled in comparison with that of Poe, who emerged as the survey frontrunner with 47 percent.

Even Poe has been labeled as an “underdog” because of questions on her Filipino citizenship, an issue widely viewed as the factor that catapulted her to top spot.

Ironically, the camp of Binay was the first to claim that Poe is not qualified to run for president because of her citizenship.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, a leader of Binay’s party United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), had earlier questioned the residency of Poe, but has since apologized to the senator amid speculations that the move backfired on Binay.  

Experts said politicians capitalize on the underdog tag because Filipinos tend to side with those whom they believe are being bullied or oppressed.

“Supposedly, we have a soft heart for underdogs. We are against the oppressors,” political science professor Amado Mendoza Jr. told The STAR. 

Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, said Filipinos tend to romanticize those who are oppressed.

“In our culture, the sympathy of people goes to the underdog. Bullies are very unpopular. In an election, if people view you as the underdog, you will win,” he said.

Both Mendoza and Casiple believe that it will be hard for Roxas to project that he is the underdog.

“It may not work for Roxas because he is the administration’s candidate,” Mendoza said.

Casiple said Roxas has an advantage because he has the support of the President. He, however, said it is too early to tell who would be viewed as the underdog by the voting public.

“The underdog tag is effective if voters believe it to be true. But you cannot dictate on people what to believe,” Casiple said.

LP slate

The Liberal Party is ready to roll out its vice-presidential bet and senatorial slate during the national executive meeting next Wednesday at the Club Filipino in San Juan, party vice-chairman Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday.

“On Sept. 30, we will formally nominate Secretary Mar Roxas’ vice presidential candidate and the senators,” Drilon said.

He said 15 names are currently in the list of LP senatorial bets.

Drilon said the party is still finalizing the 12-member Senate slate but incumbents including himself, Ralph Recto and Teofisto Guingona III are on it.  

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is also being tapped to run for the Senate. She is expected to resign shortly and has bade good-bye to DOJ employees. Former senator Francis Pangilinan will also be part of the administration slate, while a slot is also reportedly being reserved for boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. 

Asked about Roxas’ running mate, Drilon said negotiations remain underway for Camarines Rep. Leni Robredo.

The Senate president said he is not privy to the reported meeting of President Aquino and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, another possible vice presidential bet of the administration.

Roxas confirmed on Thursday that he met with Cayetano.

He did not provide details but revealed that the meeting took place before the senator met with President Aquino last Sept. 23.

Roxas said he has worked with Cayetano on common advocacies when he was still in Congress.

“He was my deputy when I was majority leader of the House of Representatives. We were at the Senate and, in fact, he was with the President in almost eight out of ten advocacies,“ Roxas said.

Roxas said those advocacies include the fight against corruption.

“What is important here is the process of consultation among those who believe in the straight path,” the LP candidate said.

Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez of party-list group Akbayan accused Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday of using public funds in his quest for the presidency.

“In 2011, the Vice President declared that he will run for president in 2016. He has devoted his entire term as the country’s second highest official and his stewardship of several housing agencies to his campaign for the presidency, using public funds and resources,” said Gutierrez, an ally of Roxas. – With Christina Mendez, Jess Diaz, Jennifer Rendon