Vice President Jejomar Binay: Let’s just see. CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
MANILA, Philippines–Who’s afraid of a Poe-Escudero or an Escudero-Poe tandem in 2016?
“Let’s just see,” Vice President Jejomar Binay told reporters on Thursday, reacting to news reports of the possible candidacies and partnership of Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero in the 2016 presidential election.
Binay’s political coalition, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), is likewise unperturbed. “My advice always is do not mind your opponents,” said Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, who is also UNA secretary general.
Binay, who announced three years ago his plan to run for president in 2016, said everyone has a right to aim for the presidency.
Poe, a neophyte senator, hinted at a possible bid for higher office in tandem with Escudero during a television interview with Karen Davila on Wednesday. She did not say whether she would run for president or vice president.
However, Poe later issued a statement that she had not made any plans regarding the matter.
Praying for strength
Interviewed over radio dwIZ on Thursday, Poe said she was praying to have the strength to choose what was right, even as she noted that she is surrounded by people who give her good advice.
If she would be considered for a position, that would be an honor, she said. Some people let such a thing get to their heads, and she does not want to reach that point, she added.
Binay said he had yet to pick a running mate after consulting with the people and that 2016 was “still too far away.” He was interviewed by reporters after addressing the Rotary Club of Manila at Alphaland City Club in Makati City.
‘Constructive critic’
Tiangco said the UNA, which describes itself as a “constructive critic” of the Aquino administration, also found it too early to choose Binay’s partner. The alliance, he said, was still open and willing to talk with anyone about it.
He said the running mate must be one with Binay in the programs he wanted to implement to better people’s lives.
Tiangco said the UNA was focused more on doing its duty in helping build the nation, noting that the election was “all about how well you performed” and that the people would be the judge. “And so why should we look at those who are running in 2016?” he added.
Strong tandem
Sen. JV Ejercito, who ran and won under the UNA in the 2013 senatorial election that Poe topped, said a Poe-Escudero tandem could bring another dimension to the forthcoming elections.
“That will be a very strong, formidable tandem considering they are both young. That would make the 2016 elections interesting,” Ejercito said at the Kapihan forum at the Senate on Thursday.
But the senator believes Binay still has the edge and could very well run away with the presidency.
“I’m not belittling the [Liberal Party] and of course coming from the UNA, I’m very confident that if elections were held tomorrow, we will be winning it … I am very confident in the UNA that at the rate we’re going, we will be winning the 2016 elections,” he said.
Too early
Asked for comment, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III said it was too early to say who would be strong contenders. The matter would become clearer in one year, since surveys will be coming out in June 2015, he said.
He also said he expected Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to throw her hat in the ring. “Whether she campaigns or not, I expect her to declare (her candidacy) because she’s already ending her second term and she always wants a say in the national debate.”
Ejercito noted the electoral strength of Poe, citing results of a recent survey that showed the woman senator second to Binay among the top picks to be president.
“I would think that among the other [presidential hopefuls], even if she has not declared [she will run], she’s already second, she has a high rating. She’s a fresh face, she’s new. That’s a big factor. People right now, especially the youth, are looking for new faces,” he said.
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