MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/05 October) – If the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey are to be believed, the rating of Vice President Jejomar Binay as a “Presidentiable” has dipped by 10 percent. In the survey conducted from September 8-15 among 1,200 respondents, he obtained 31 percent, and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas trailed with 13 percent.
Obviously, the accusations that he and family members got millions in kickbacks from government projects in Makati City, as alleged during Senate hearings, were the main, if not the only, cause of his slide in ratings. His rivals and detractors however need additional ammunition if they wish to trim his lead further to a manageable figure before the campaign for the 2016 elections starts.
Here is a glaring, if disturbing, fact that the Vice President’s opponents, in particular those allied with the current administration, should reckon with: the drop in Binay’s rating has not translated into substantial increase in the rating of Roxas. Never mind those of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Alan Peter Cayetano and the rest. It would be interesting to know what made the respondents think Binay’s potential rivals are not worth their vote either.
A few guesses: Roxas carries the baggage of having lost to Binay in a battle for a lesser post, not to mention his unconvincing expedient line that he’s too preoccupied with work that he has no time to think about the elections at this time; Cayetano appears too eager for the Presidency – note his TV ads which, ironically, are patterned after Binay’s “Sa Makati” line – which might have turned off voters. And maybe, just maybe, the voters think there really is no alternative choice at this stage. Deep inside they could be saying the accusers after all are as guilty as the accused, if we have to presume that the accused is guilty unless proven otherwise.[]
Senator Grace Poe may be a decent choice for the presidency. But her age and relative inexperience in politics will work against her.[]