This week marks the battle of the TV and radio ads for prospective 2016 presidential and senatorial candidates. The president’s choice, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, came out with a first wave of political ads trumpeting the “daan na matuwid” (straight path) governance principles that the Aquino administration are known for.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos recently came out with an upbeat TV ad with a variety of shots of him taking selfies with ordinary people.
It is expected that other prospective candidates will follow suit, including those eyeing a Senate run.
“The survey results that would come out in September are crucial to politicians still weighing their options prior to the October deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacies,” a senatorial aspirant told this writer. Indeed, given the high costs of running a national campaign, ambition must be tempered with reality, and reality means high ratings equal campaign contributions.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte continues to bewilder the pundits with his “No, I am not running” but “watch me closely” conundrum, but once he does declare, the novelty may soon wear off and his bold rhetoric against criminals and corrupt officials may keep the more conservative families at bay. Senator Grace Poe is said to be gearing up for a presidential run, though efforts to woo her to join Secretary Mar as his running mate remain in earnest, though the latter’s camp is now expressing their desire to cast a wider net.
Secretary Mar Roxas has made the leap, and is now firmly established as the president’s anointed one. The Liberal Party is gearing up for a more difficult battle ahead compared to the 2010 sweep due to a very popular Aquino. Some say that Mar’s packaging as the president’s shadow or clone is doing the Wharton graduate and highly experienced Cabinet secretary a great disfavor. Would their opinion change once the September survey results come out?
Vice President Jejomar Binay is Roxas’s direct and most popular as well as controversial rival. I asked Joey Salgado, one of his spokespersons whether this gambit has resulted in a positive uptick in Binay’s ratings. “We really can’t tell but what is important is the vice president has drawn a sharp contrast between his type of governance as shown in Makati – compassionate and competent – and what we have under PNoy (President Aquino), which is uncaring and inept.” Salgado’s word war with presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda has become an interesting sideshow for many Filipinos.
Prior to making the break with President Aquino, the vice president’s ratings were in a free fall. What remains in his favor is that he has been on the campaign trail for five consecutive years, and remains close to his base despite relentless attacks and allegations of corruption hurled against him.
It looks like a four-way race, Binay-Poe-Duterte-Roxas, is in the works. Mar Roxas needs movie actress and tested Batangas governor Vilma Santos to excite his base and draw more votes from Luzon. Binay needs a charismatic running mate and a credible Senate lineup to mount a more credible campaign. Senator Grace Poe continues to score points because she is a foundling, but that issue is best resolved as early as possible.
And how about Bongbong Marcos? He is a sure winner in the Senate and so the September ratings game will be crucial to him as well. If he does run as president or vice president, it would make the 2016 race extremely colorful and exciting, not just for the locals but the international press as well.
The month of August continues to entertain as the period of seduction, when aspirants test the waters even more, knowing that drowning even of the political kind, is not an option.
