Young bets crowd out oldies in Senate race

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines—Is the senatorial race turning into a young man’s game?

Seasoned politicians appear to be lagging behind much younger and arguably more popular candidates in recent surveys, with two senior former senators working double time to get voter recognition.

At least seven of those in the Magic 12 are only in their 40s, the likes of Senators Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Nancy Binay is only 39 and she was tied at 4th to 9th places with the 42-year-old Representative Jose Victor Ejercito in the latest Pulse Asia survey.

In contrast, former Senators Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay Jr. and Ernesto Maceda, who are trying to stage a comeback, have some serious catching up to do. The 74-year-old Magsaysay placed 16th to 17th, while the 77-year-old Maceda settled at 18th to 19th places in the same survey.

Voter “awareness” that Magsaysay is running for senator was only 79 percent, while Maceda’s rating was only slightly higher at 82 percent.

Magsaysay, who last served as senator in 2007, yesterday acknowledged what he called the “built-in” advantage of younger candidates, especially with about a third of the voting population only in their 30s or even younger.

“It looks that way,” he told the Inquirer when asked if voters were going for younger senatorial candidates this time, as indicated in surveys. “The young ones have an advantage, I admit. But while personality counts, what’s important is our track record, what we have done before as legislators.”

Both Magsaysay and Maceda maintained they have an advantage in terms of experience and track record and it’s just a matter of connecting with a generation of Twitter and Facebook users.

Maceda, for example, is going through some makeover. His moniker as “Mr. Expose” was so ’90s that he agreed to drop it in favor of the slogan, “Sa akin, una ka sa eksena (For me, you take center stage).” He also dances to the lively K-Pop phenomenon “Gangnam Style,” although he was occasionally seen dozing off on stage and had to be assisted going down.

“I’m trying to meet the young voters by saying we will push for student discounts, scholarships and help graduates get jobs,” said Maceda, who is running under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

“I need to get the young voters [to crack the Magic 12]. They are not really aware of our track record so it’s up to us to inform them,” he added.

Magsaysay said part of his campaign with the administration’s Team PNoy would focus on communicating his platform and track record, especially to voters who are probably too young to remember.

In 2005 and 2006, Magsaysay headed the Senate committee of agriculture investigation into the P728-million fertilizer fund scam. The committee said then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be “held accountable” and recommended the filing of charges against key agriculture officials.

“I’ve been out for a while so I have to work overtime,” he said. “We urge voters to do some research on the candidates’ track record so they would be enlightened on who really deserves to win.”

Physically, Maceda sees no problem keeping pace with much younger candidates.

“We’ve been going around for six months and I’ve been able to survive,” said the former senator, who also went around the country as the campaign manager of the Joseph Estrada-Jejomar Binay ticket in the 2010 presidential election. “I have no lingering illness whatsoever. I had a full checkup before I decided to run.”

Magsaysay sounded more realistic even if he considers himself fit given his regular visit to the gym. Younger candidates, he said, “will keep running around but I’ll be there. It’s just a matter of pacing.”

He carries a similar attitude about surveys, the results of which, he said, was no indication that his time as an elected official has passed.

“The campaign has not officially started,” he said. “I believe that if your message resonates, you will remain relevant.”