Voters seek fresh faces in ‘relative newcomer’ and ‘purely local figure’

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Grace Poe. INQUIRER MINDANAO FILE PHOTO and INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The surge in the presidential polls of a “relative newcomer,” Sen. Grace Poe, and a “purely local leader,” Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, shows that voters are looking for new figures in national politics, an analyst said on Friday.

And the low ranking of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party, may be attributed to his heavy dependence on President Aquino’s endorsement, according to Bobby Tuazon, director for policy studies of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG).

Independent, strong

“People are looking for a politically independent and strong candidate,” Tuazon said at a news forum in Quezon City.

Duterte might even come neck and neck with Vice President Jejomar Binay, the former front-runner who dropped second to Poe in the polls, because people are not satisfied with Binay’s response to the corruption allegations against him, Tuazon said.

Binay’s unsatisfactory answer that the charges against him were “politically motivated” contributed to the fall in his standing with voters in Class E, a historical stronghold, together with Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, CenPEG chair Temario Rivera said.

Criminality key issue

Criminality is a key issue today, especially illegal drugs, which has played well for Duterte, Rivera said.

But there are limits to Duterte’s iron-fist stance as some sectors may feel threatened, he added.

Aside from sympathy for the underdog when Binay’s camp questioned Poe’s nationality and her being an adopted child, the junior senator was also able to project a critical stance during the Senate investigations involving former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima, the state of the Metro Rail Transit and the Mamasapano clash, the analysts said.

First time

“What strikes me is, for the first time, I think, a relative newcomer in national politics has captured the leading trend in voter preference,” Tuazon said, referring to Poe.

“She has been in the national limelight for a relatively short period. The investigations helped a lot in increasing the credibility and public perception of the senator,” he said. “Sen. Grace Poe does not appear to be a traditional politician—that we are all aware of. She is able to project a new image.”

“The other thing, for the first time, a purely local leader in the person of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is projecting to be a formidable, if not top, contender in the presidential race. Again, I would attribute this to the fact that people, especially the young, are looking for new political figures who are action-oriented,” Tuazon said.

‘Communication disconnect’

“Considering the dangerous trend survey pattern of Mar Roxas—if not just steady, his ranking even fell compared with 2014 surveys—I think this comes down to the fact that even if he was one of the early birds, so to speak, in the presidential race, of course he hasn’t officially declared his candidacy, people might find it uncomfortable due to the fact that Mar Roxas is heavily dependent on the blessing of President Aquino,” he said.

Tuazon said Roxas also had a “communication disconnect” with the people.

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