Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
THE TEAM Galing and Puso of independent candidates Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero remains upbeat on their chances of winning in next week’s elections.
Escudero said this year’s elections were shaping up as closer to the 1992 presidential elections where several candidates ran for president with no clear lead in the last week before Election Day.
He noted that Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago was the most popular bet and front-runner among a field of heavyweight politicos like Fidel V. Ramos, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, Imelda Marcos, Salvador Laurel, Ramon Mitra and Jovito Salonga.
But Escudero said Ramos won over Santiago because she was perceived to have been unable to convert her popularity into votes.
Popularity and survey leads
Escudero said that a candidate’s popularity was just one factor to be considered in assessing the chances of a candidate.
In this year’s elections, Escudero said that while Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte enjoyed a comfortable lead over Poe, it remained to be seen if Duterte could convert his survey lead into actual votes.
Escudero said Poe could still surmount Duterte’s lead if her alliance with the Nationalist People’s Coalition would prove fruitful in providing her a network to convert her popularity into actual votes.
Escudero said his team was also counting on Poe as the leading second choice of respondents who would change their original choice on Election Day.
“This is a tight race because no single candidate has an overwhelming lead,” he added.
It was the same story in the vice presidential race where up to four candidates have a chance to take it all on Election Day from survey leader Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to his close rivals Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Escudero, he said.
Poe campaigned on Tuesday in Cavite province where she held a motorcade through several towns for six hours.
Supported by Revillas
Cavite has one of the largest number of registered voters at 1.84 million.
Poe is being supported by the Revilla political clan, who controls several elective positions in the province.
But the Revillas are backing Marcos for vice president instead of Escudero.
The Lakas-CMD political party, where the Revillas are members, has endorsed Marcos’ candidacy.
Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, who is running for reelection, joined Poe in her motorcade on Tuesday.
As this developed, Poe urged the voting public to safeguard their votes and remain vigilant on election day to protect their choices.
At the same time, Poe denied any involvement in vote-buying activities as alleged by senatorial candidate Greco Belgica.
Poe said that since 2004, she had been involved in a battle to combat electoral fraud, in apparent reference to the presidential election where her father Fernando Poe Jr. lost to then incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo amid allegations of cheating.
