Next!: ‘Mar’ better than ‘Noynoy’

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Polls not a popularity contest – lawmaker

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd may have made a grievous mistake in abandoning his own bid for the presidency in the 2010 elections in favor of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd.

In seemingly berating Roxas for his decision on Wednesday to give way to Noynoy, Rep. Matias Defensor of Quezon City said that between the two senators, Roxas was the more capable of running for the highest position in the land.

“I believe that Sen. Roxas has a good chance of winning, but he’s stepping down to give way to Sen. Aquino,” added Defensor, a close ally of Malacañang.

During the Balitaan sa Hotel Rembrandt forum on Friday, he cited Roxas’ being in the thick of preparations for next year’s polls when he announced that he was quitting the race to Malacañang.

Besides, the congressman said, Noynoy could not make up his mind on whether he was running in the 2010 balloting, adding that the 2010 polls are not about piling up brownie points.

“Bakit papalitan ang nakahandang tumakbo dahil lang sa winnability at euphoria? Dapat hindi gawing popularity contest. Dapat it should be based on the qualifications and the readiness for the position [Why replace a ready and qualified candidate for the sake of win nability and euphoria? We should not turn this into a popularity contest. The candidacy should be based on qualifications and the readiness for the position],” Defensor added.

Administration bet

Also undecided on whether he would contest next year’s polls was Vice President Noli de Castro.

Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser on political affairs, also on Friday said that de Castro would announce his plans for the 2010 elections in the second week of September.

Claudio, also the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-Kampi CMD) secretary-general, said that he talked to de Castro and told him that the administration party will come up with a standard-bearer on September 15.

Big sacrifice

In apparently disagreeing with Roxas’ decision to accommodate Noynoy, Defensor said that making popularity a criterion for choosing a standard-bearer reeked of old politics.

Former Rep. Florencio “Butch” Abad, the campaign manager for the Liberal Party, which also counts Roxas and Noynoy as members, also during the forum acknowledged Roxas’ generosity

“It [dropping out of the 2010 race] was a huge sacrifice for Sen. Roxas. He’s been preparing for two years, but he chose to step down,” Abad said.

Apparently thinking that Noynoy would make a better presidential candidate, the former congressman from Batanes province added, “We believe that in a Noynoy-Mar team-up. We have a very competitive tandem.”

Abad said that he also believes that Noynoy would catch the imagination of the people about the right leader for them.

Defensor hinted that Roxas may have been pressured by the Liberal Party into giving up his own presidential ambitions. He did not elaborate.

Going and staying

This early, the 2010 elections have lost another presidential contender in Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga.

Bro. Eddie Villanueva also on Friday said that he respected the decision of Panlilio to back out from the race.

“Just as I respected the decision of [Roxas] as he gave way to the presidential candidacy of [Noynoy], I also respect the decision of [Panlilio],” Villanueva said in a statement.

On Thursday, the TV evangelist maintained that he will stay on in the presidential race because it “is the only way to achieve Bangon Pilipinas’ vision of a new Philippines and platform of righteous governance.”

During a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City (Metro Manila) also on Friday, Panlilio, along with three local chief executives announced their full support for Noynoy to ensure the legacy of his parents, late former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino and late former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

If Roxas “could sacrifice all he had done and his own dream to be president, it should be easier for all of us to make the same sacrifice,” the priest-turned-governor read from a prepared speech.

He urged other presidential candidates, particularly former President Joseph Estrada, to follow suit and sacrifice their own presidential aspirations for Noynoy.

Earlier, Estrada said that he was 99.9 percent certain of seeking the presidency for the second time in 2010.

During a radio interview also on Friday, the former president noted that Panlilio’s decision has “no bearing” on the presidential race, saying that the governor’s name was hardly being mentioned in the surveys.

Panlilio said that the only chance for the political opposition to win next year’s voting is to support a single candidate can win against the administration bet and unite the people.

“Noynoy may not be the best for the presidency but at this point we need to unite as a country and he could be the right person,” he added.

Uniting the opposition

Now that Panlilio and Gov. Grace Padaca of Isabela have withdrawn their names from the 2010 presidential race, there is more reason for the opposition to pursue unity talks and field a common presidential candidate for next year’s elections, the United Opposition (UNO) said also on Friday.

Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City, also UNO president, said that with the decision of the two governors to support Noynoy, there is more reason for them to pursue unity talks within the opposition and “consider the possibility of forming a coalition party” for the 2010 elections.”

Uniting behind Teodoro

Meanwhile, the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) has unanimously approved a resolution endorsing Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro as the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats standard-bearer in the 2010 elections.

Ben Evardone, the League secretary-general and the governor of Eastern Samar, said that the decision to declare Teodoro as the presidential candidate was reached after a meeting in Pasig City (Metro Manila) on Friday.

Gabriel Claudio, the Lakas secretary-general and President Gloria Arroyo’s political adviser, confirmed the league resolution endorsing Teodoro.