Binay vs Poe fight looms

Political luster

Poe’s political luster makes her a bankable presidential candidate, but several members of the LP insist that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas should be the party’s standard-bearer, and that Poe, running as his vice president, would increase his chances of winning the election.

READ: Aquino wants Poe to run as Roxas’ veep in 2016 – Osmeña

WHAT ME, WITHDRAW? “I started it, I will finish it,” says Vice President Jejomar Binay despite a slew of corruption charges against him. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Roxas, however, does not shine in the poll, placing third behind Poe and Binay in the March 20-23 Social Weather Stations poll.

In that survey, Poe, with 31 percent voter support, is seen as threatening the lead of Binay, who had 36 percent. Roxas was in third place with 15 percent, tied with the tough-talking mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte.

With developments in the Senate and Ombudsman investigation into allegations of corruption against him—the latest being a Court of Appeals order freezing his bank accounts—the Vice President could head deeper south in the polls or even lose his lead to Poe.

Poe is leading in the vice presidential polls, making her attractive to other parties that have already chosen their presidential candidates.

Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) wants Poe to be the Vice President’s running mate, but the PDP’s Laban is also considering her as a sidekick for Duterte—if “The Punisher,” as Time magazine calls the Davao mayor, decides to run for President.

MUTUAL ADMIRATION Mr. Aquino and Poe have lately been swapping praises for each other. REM ZAMORA

Independence, courage

Though a junior senator, Poe drew public admiration for her handling of the Senate investigation of a botched police counterterrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, which left 44 Special Action Force commandos, 17 Moro rebels and three civilians dead on Jan. 25.

The clash between the policemen and the rebels set back the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and plunged President Aquino into his worst political crisis since coming into power in 2010.

Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that led the inquiry into the clash, said in her investigation report that the buck should stop with the President and that the public would be less confused if he accepted responsibility for the bungled operation.

She also said that the President and other high-ranking officials could have done more to minimize government casualty in the operation.

The adverse findings, however, did not diminish Poe’s standing as an administration ally. Rather, her independence and the public praise that she earned for it made her more valuable to Malacañang.

Poe has not decided whether to seek higher office, but her supporters, even those from the opposition, think she should run for President.

Better than Aquino

For opposition Sen. JV Ejercito, Poe would be an even better President than Mr. Aquino.

“I think Senator Poe can perform better than P-Noy. She has a good heart for the masses that she inherited from her parents, especially FPJ. So I think she will be more sensitive to the feelings of the people,” Ejercito said on Friday.

FPJ is the nickname of Poe’s father, a bosom buddy of Ejercito’s father, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

Ejercito earlier said his family would be torn if Poe would seek the presidency, as she would be going up against their party’s own standard-bearer, Binay. He noted that the Ejercito-Estradas have close ties with the Poes.

Mayor Estrada, a former President, always speaks fondly of FPJ and of his willingness to support his daughter.

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