Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
WHO’S afraid of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago as a prospective president?
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday said he was, as Santiago, his political enemy, was “too brilliant.”
But Enrile quickly took it back, telling reporters he was just joking.
He noted that Santiago has sought the presidency several times and will do so again despite announcing earlier that she had stage 4 lung cancer.
Enrile, the Senate minority leader, said he did not know Santiago’s capabilities to lead the country.
As to whether he considers her a serious candidate, he said he would have to see.
“There is nothing better to do, according to her, except to run for President. If she was quoted correctly, then I can base my assessment about the seriousness of her candidacy on the basis of that statement,” Enrile said.
But he would rather keep his conclusions to himself, he said.
Asked about the effect of Santiago’s candidacy, he said he did not want to discuss the matter. “That’s not important to me,” he said.
Enrile and Santiago’s public feud began when the latter alleged that Enrile, the then Senate President, excluded her and three other lawmakers from the distribution of additional maintenance and operational funds.
As to the possibility that Santiago would be the running mate of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose bid for the vice presidency he endorsed, Enrile said he had not thought about it.
“I do not know whether Bongbong [Marcos’ nickname] would want to be the running mate of anybody,” he said.
After announcing her plan to run for President, Santiago said she would have a running mate, one who had already declared his candidacy.
Of the vice presidential candidates without partners, only Marcos has not declared support for any presidential candidate.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has announced that he would support Sen. Grace Poe, while for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano it is Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte—if the latter were to decide to run for President.
Fueling speculation that he would run with Santiago, Marcos posted on his Twitter account a picture of the two of them with the caption “Remembering our RH deliberations. #WayBackWednesday.”