Show better platform than ‘daang matuwid,’ Drilon urges Roxas rivals

Senate President Franklin Drilon says the rivals of Mar Roxas in the 2016 elections should have a platform that is better than “daang matuwid.” INQUIRER PHOTO

Senate President Franklin Drilon is urging rivals of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to present an alternative platform that is “distinct and better” than “daang matuwid.”

Drilon, vice chair of the Liberal Party, issued the call on Wednesday after what he described as the “zooming upward trajectory” of Roxas in pre-election surveys, owing to President Benigno Aquino III’s daang matuwid (straight path) leadership.

He was reacting to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Sept. 2 to 5 which showed that in a 12-way fight, 26 percent of the voters would vote for Sen. Grace Poe, 24 percent for Vice President Jejomar Binay, and 20 percent for Roxas.

Drilon said Roxas’ 20 percent was a 16-percent jump or a five-fold increase from his 4 percent rating six months ago in a survey conducted by another polling agency, Pulse Asia.

He attributed this trajectory to the President’s “very strong commitment” that his anointed candidate would adhere to the principles of daang matuwid.

“So the SWS survey gives us encouragement that this platform of good governance and daang matuwid is the platform that we should follow. Ang mga katunggali ay dapat po ay maghanap ng ibang plataporma at ito na po ang plataporma ng Pangulo,” he said.

“There is no question on the fact that the people continue to identify the tuwid na daan government with President Aquino. There is also no doubt that the people want continuity to these reforms already achieved, which can be best done under the leader who Aquino himself trusts to further drive the nation forward,” he said in a separate statement.

“It is now incumbent upon the other declared candidates to present to the people an alternative platform which they can say distinct and better than the tuwid na daan,” he further said.

Drilon noted that Roxas’ ascent in the pre-election polls was far more encouraging than the ratings received by his possible rivals in the 2016 president elections. This was “very evident,” he said, in all surveys.

“This should be a cause of concern for his opponents because, by all indications, it is just a matter of time before Roxas gets ahead of them,” said the Senate president.

While Roxas continues to rise in surveys, Drilon said his closest rivals’ ratings had either plateaued or declined.

He noted the March survey by Pulse Asia, which showed Binay leading with 29 percent, and Poe garnering 14 percent. In the latest SWS poll, he said, Binay’s number went down to 24 percent, while Poe’s increased to 26 percent.

Drilon also noted that in earlier SWS surveys, where respondents were asked to name three candidates they would likely support, it was Roxas who recorded the biggest and most significant increase by 18 percentage points, from 21 percent in June 2015 to 39 percent in September 2015.

“In comparison, the ratings of other declared candidates have either gone down or seen no major improvement despite their pronouncements to the public and heavy advertisements,” the Senate leader added. Maila Ager/RC

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