Honasan brushes off low survey ratings

Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II. MARC CAYABYAB/INQUIRER.net

Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II said he no longer minds his low ratings in voters’ preference polls, adding that he would rather focus on discussing his party’s platform with the people than be affected by the surveys.

During the “Pandesal Forum” at the Kamuning Bakery on Monday, Honasan only joked about his latest ratings at two percent and admitted that he saw himself more as a good soldier than a politician.

“If you look by the numbers na sinasabi sa surveys, sa tingin ko mahihirapan na sila humabol sa two percent natin (If you look by the numbers mentioned in the surveys, I think my rivals would find it difficult to catch up with my two percent rating),” Honasan said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Honasan was  chosen by only two percent of 4,000 respondents in the latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by ABS-CBN and conducted from April 19 to 24.

READ: Duterte still up; Roxas inches up

Honasan had consistently placed in last place, behind his opponents frontrunner Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who got 31 percent, Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo with 26 percent, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 18 percent, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano with 15 percent, and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with three percent.

Honasan’ running mate Vice President Jejomar Binay placed third with 18 percent, surpassed  by nemesis administration candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who got 20 percent, Sen. Grace Poe, who got 22 percent, and frontrunner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who led with 33 percent.

“The numbers do not matter to me anymore. Mission accomplished na ako rito (My mission has been accomplished), I’m not saying I’m a reluctant candidate. it’s just I’m a better soldier than a politician,” Honasan added.

He said he decided to run as the vice president of Binay as part of his duty as the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) vice president.

“That’s dishonorable to me—I’d end up resigning kung hindi ko siya samahan (if I would not run with him),” Honasan said.

Honasan decided to run as vice president of Binay after consultations with possible running mates failed to pull through. Leading the possible running mate then was Sen. Marcos, who ended up running as the vice president of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Honasan said he accepted the offer to run as Binay’s running mate to explain to the people “that under a moral leadership, change is possible.”

“We’ve proven that 30 years ago in Edsa,” said Honasan, a key player in the Feb. 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution led by the military and the people who took to the streets to bring down the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos.

Honasan was the chief security of then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who turned his back on Marcos to lead the uprising.

During the 1986 Edsa people power revolt, Honasan was the founder of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, which broke away from  martial rule.

Asked about the so-called “silent majority” for  Roxas who had fared poorly in the surveys, Honasan said he was hoping he also has a group of supporters who were outside the radar of the opinion polls.

“Baka hindi pa naririnig yung silent majority, na baka tulungan ako ng kaunti (Perhaps the silent majority have not yet been heard, they could help me a little). So it does not worry me. Of course who does not want to win? Sino bang hindi malulungkot kung matatalo ka (Who wouldn’t get sad when he loses)?” Honasan said.

“But to me, the more important job is for the candidates to explain the platform,” he added.

Besides his role in the peaceful 1986 Edsa revolt, Honasan also led a series of failed coup attempts against the administration of then President Corazon “Cory” Aquino  starting in 1987. Honasan planned the deadliest coup attempt in Dec. 1989 when soldiers tried to attack Malacañang.

READ: Did you know: Honasan-led coup try vs Cory Aquino

In 2006, Honasan was captured after nine months of hiding when he was ordered arrested for rebellion for being the alleged ringleader of the July 27, 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Honasan was also a respondent for rebellion charges over a foiled coup attempt against the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration in February 2006, which prompted her to declare a national state of emergency.

The coup charges were dismissed in 2007, a few months after Honasan won as senator in the May midterm elections.

Honasan first became a senator in 1995, and was reelected in 2001 and again in 2007. RAM/rga

READ: Honasan says of coup past: I’m a good boy now