Will family ties trump party affiliation?

Having an established family name and record in politics will carry weight, perhaps more than party affiliation, in the senate race in Cebu, whose 2.5 million voters is worth aiming for.

Based on 2007 poll results, Senators Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero performed well in Cebu.

As common candidates this year of the Liberal Party (LP) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), their chances of landing on top of ballots of vote-rich Cebu, along with Bisaya-speaking Miguel Zubiri who was also well favored here in 2007, are high.

Legarda finished 5th in Cebu City and and 9th in the province. Escudero, who appeals to youth voters, was 7th place in the city and 11th in the province. Zubiri was in the top 10.

Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (LP) didn’t make it to the Senate in 2010 but ranked a high 7th in Cebu City and 12th in the province.

Four candidates in this year’s race will bank on the name recall and service record of their elders.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, who is fielding his son Sonny (LP) in the May polls, ranked 3rd in both Cebu city and province in 2007.

Sen. Manuel Villar, whose wife Cynthia is now an LP bet, ranked 4th in the city and 7th in the province.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, whose son Jack is an UNA candidate, ranked 5th in the province and 8th in the city.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada placed 9th in the province and 13th in the city in 2010. Will his half-brother candidate JV Ejercito fare better?

In the 2010 presidential election, Cebu rejected their father Joseph Estrada, who polled only 4 .8 percent in the city and 5.6 percent in the province, a weak 4th place finish.)/Associate Editor BenCyrus G. Ellorin