Escudero: Who says I’m not threatened by Marcos?

Who says he is not threatened by Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.?

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said this himself on Friday when asked during a press conference in Tacloban City if he was not threatened by rival Marcos.

Escudero had been the consistent front-runner in the vice presidential surveys until the latest Social Weather Stations poll, which showed him sharing the top spot with Marcos at 26 percent.

READ: Marcos, Escudero share top spot for VP in SWS poll

“Sinong nagsabi sa’yo na hindi ako threatened mula’t mula? Sa kanya man o ibang kumakandidato bilang ikalawang pangulo? Kumpara sa kanila, mas marami naman silang pera kesa sa akin. Kumpara sa kanila, mas may partido at makinarya sila. Hindi tulad namin ni Sen. Grace [Poe],” Escudero said.

“Ang pinanghahawakan ko lang palagi isang bagay, kasabihan—Ang pera may tao, pero ang tao walang pera. Buti na lang, tao nakakaboto at hindi ang pera,” he added.

Escudero, however, gave a categorical “no” when asked if he was bothered by Marcos’ surge in the surveys.

“Hindi. Sa katunayan, ang survey naman talaga tataas ka, bababa ka, tataas ka, bababa ka. Awa ng Diyos, hindi pa naman yata nalalampasan,” he said.

“Sa totoo lang, anak lang ako ng empleyado ng tatay niya dahil nagtrabaho bilang ministro ni dating Pangulong Marcos ang tatay ko. Sino ba naman ako para magmalaki at abutin ang narating ko?”

His father, the late congressman Salvador “Sonny” Escudero, was agriculture chief during the time of Marcos’ father and namesake, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

“Alalahanin po ninyo, ang pagiging senador na ang pinakamataas na halal na pwesto ng narating ng apelyido ng pamilya ko. Anumang hihigit dito, bonus na para sa akin,” Escudero said.

He noted that his rivals had either relatives who became senator, president, or a hero.

“Ako, ito pa lang ang pinakamataas na pwestong narating ko,” he said.

“Malaking bagay na para sa akin ang manguna sa puntong ito sa mga survey na naglalabasan. Pero alalahanin din natin, sino man ang mga nangunguna ngayon, bale wala lahat ‘yan dahil sa dulo boto sa eleksiyon ang binibilang at hindi ang boto sa survey.” RC