Choices for 2010

In the land of many evils, we settle for the lesser one. And so we begin the serious task of picking our next president.

As the presidential debates kicked off last week, several of the aspirants fielded questions from students and faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University and ANC anchors Tina Monzon Palma and Ricky Carandang.

The aspirants included some of the most competent, among them Sen. Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Unfortunately, their ratings refuse to rise in the surveys.

Also a laggard in the surveys is Sen. Richard Gordon, who would in fact make a good chief executive, like fellow presidential aspirant Bayani Fernando, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority. Unfortunately, both men are perceived to be abrasive, rubbing the public the wrong way. Both men are also not seen as serious presidential contenders, and are perceived to be simply trying to raise their national profile so they can have a shot at their actual target, the vice presidency.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, for all his exposés, is in this same league at this point. Portrayed as an opposition spoiler in 2004 by the camp of Fernando Poe Jr., Lacson could play the same role again in 2010. He has no party machinery and he might face at least one criminal case way ahead of any member of the current First Family.

The presidential aspirations of priest-on-leave Ed Panlilio, who was at the debate, are taken even less seriously. He might have a good chance in Congress though.

Sen. Chiz Escudero, backed by the massive war chest of Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. and the Nationalist People’s Coalition, should lose his swagger if he wants to win believers in his capacity for the presidency. Barack Obama he ain’t, regardless of how hard he tries to portray himself as the Philippines’ hope for change.

The debate was a pretty good start, and the aspirants should be commended for their willingness to face the public and explain their stand on several issues.

Conspicuously missing, of course, were the frontrunners in the surveys: Vice President Noli de Castro and Sen. Manny Villar. Also missing were Escudero’s closest rival in the surveys, Sen. Loren Legarda, as well as “BF” Fernando, who seems to prefer plastering his image and “Bayani” on billboards all over Metro Manila. BF’s nemesis, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, was also missing.

Also conspicuously absent was the big question mark in the 2010 race, former President Joseph Estrada.

As we wrote after he visited The STAR several months ago, Erap sees re-election to the presidency as his best vindication following his conviction for plunder. If he wins and is disqualified, he has reportedly promised to hand over the presidency to his running mate, which at this point could be Legarda or Binay, or whoever Erap runs into at the next social gathering.

Never mind if the Constitution specifically bans “any” re-election for presidents. Erap, with the help of legal advisers, has run over and over in his mind scenarios that (he hopes) will beat even a Supreme Court ruling barring him from assuming the presidency again.

People horrified by the prospect of President Erap: The Sequel can take comfort in the fact that he hasn’t managed so far to top any major survey on presidential aspirants. In some polls, he lags behind even Chiz and Loren.

Erap might take his cue from the first foray into politics of Manny Pacquiao. The boxing champion may be a beloved national icon, but voters (at least those in General Santos City and South Cotabato) decided that boxing and lawmaking require different skills.

Popularity in sports and entertainment are no longer surefire keys to political success.

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As for the frontrunners, Villar has given the public a taste of how he confronts adversity. If recent surveys are any gauge, the attacks against him for the so-called double insertions have made no dent in his popularity.

Villar is succeeding in portraying himself as a victim of a kangaroo court set up by his rivals for the presidency. Residents of Las Piñas and Parañaque seem to like the controversial project, which will ease traffic in one of the most congested areas of Metro Manila.

Villar has also taken on Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, pointing out that that the questionable insertions were approved by the Senate finance committee that was headed by Enrile. Unlike his critic Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Villar is not reduced to tears by the pugnacious Enrile.

While fighting his enemies, Villar is flooding the airwaves with his “sipag at tiyaga” ads. Because Villar rose from poverty, the ads have more resonance than Roxas’ efforts to portray himself as a tricycle driver after the “Mr. Palengke” effort fizzled out.

Meanwhile, Noli de Castro’s tack, which seems to be working, is to stay away from controversies and befriend everybody. We don’t know where he stands on anything, and he seems to prefer it that way. So do his fans, if the surveys are an accurate gauge of the voter’s pulse.

The first presidential debate gave us a glimpse of where some of the aspirants stood on raging issues, and their priorities if they won.

We have an idea of the priorities of those absent at the debate.

Lacson stands for law and order and is sure to move for the prosecution of all the liars, thieves and poll cheats in this administration. He should get good lawyers though, and good security teams for his witnesses.

Villar prefers to focus on the economy and livelihood programs.

Fernando will install pink fences, pink urinals and U-turn slots all over the country. He will turn the Philippines into a land as well run as his fiefdom, Marikina, which isn’t too bad if you think about it. Binay has a similar pitch, to do for the country what he has done for Makati. Gordon offers a similar promise; he has his track record in Olongapo City, especially after the bases were shut down, to attest to his competence. Why aren’t these men rating better in the surveys?

De Castro is expected to continue working for decent housing for the poor and other uncomplicated anti-poverty programs.

There’s no perfect candidate, but voters can start developing an informed choice.