By Kurt Lozano
When Senator Grace Poe officially announced her intention to run for president in the May 2016 elections, with Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as her running mate, her entry into the race for the presidency was met with raucous applause and encouraging cheers from her supporters. For months before she even announced her presidential bid, Sen. Poe proved to be the most popular out of all the potential presidential candidates by being the most popular choice for both the presidential and vice-presidential seats in surveys by the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia Research Inc.
Now that the dust has settled and the official campaign season draws ever closer, I find myself wondering if Senator Grace Poe truly has what it takes to become the new president of the Philippines.
Of Surveys and Supporters
So far, Sen. Poe remains the most popular presidential candidate among many Filipinos, and I find her sudden surge in popularity in the mere span of a few months most intriguing. Considering current circumstances, I was surprised to find that in surveys by Pulse Asia back in November 2014 and March of this year it was then vice president Jejomar “Jojo” Binay who stood in a comfortable lead, as 26% and 29% of the Filipinos that participated in those surveys favored him as the president. Meanwhile, Sen. Poe stood in Binay’s shadow with a preference rate of only 18% and 14% respectively.
But oh, how the times have changed. In Pulse Asia’s survey which ran from May 30 to June 5 this year, Sen. Poe took the lead with 30% of those surveyed now favoring her over Binay, whose preference rating dropped to 22%.
This to me is a testament to just how fickle Philippine politics, and consequently the Filipinos can be. With Binay constantly bombarded with controversies, Sen. Poe skyrocketed to the lead in his stead. While her political opponents and critics might view the issues with her citizenship as a way to knock her out of the race for the presidency, it seems it only served to improve Sen. Poe’s ‘underdog’ image. The Filipinos love rooting for the underdog, and with Sen. Poe going up against prominent political figures in Jejomar Binay and Mar Roxas, both of whom also face their fair share of controversies, she just might be the underdog the public has been looking for.
However, I think that there is another factor to Sen. Poe’s popularity that we must all take some time to consider, for it is one of the things that just might make or break her campaign.
‘The Poe Legacy’
Sen. Poe repeatedly invoked the memory of her adoptive father, the late Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), in her speech which announced her official entry into the race for the presidency in 2016. In her speech, she declared that she wanted to continue what her father started and that she followed the same principle he did when the latter ran for president in the 2004 elections. “… importante sa isang leader ang katalinuhan pero mas mahalaga ang may tapat na pusong manilbihan upang tulungan ang mahihirap, labanan ang pang-aabuso, at pumanday sa isang lipunang masagana at makataraungan,” said the senator.
Considering that Sen. Poe is the most popular presidential candidate among most Filipinos, I find her campaign very similar to that of her father’s. Back in the 2004 elections, FPJ’s origins as a movie star garnered the support of many Filipinos back then and made him a top contender for the presidency. However, I think that Sen. Poe would do well to let her father’s memory rest. Not only out of respect for his legacy, but also to prevent her being branded with the same criticisms that her father faced in his 2004 presidential run.
In the 2004 elections, while FPJ’s movie star background became the lynchpin of his campaign, his critics and opponents often called him out for it due to his lack of political experience and competence. While popularity can get you a long way, it is not a guarantee for victory in the elections. FPJ’s defeat to the admittedly much more politically experienced and competent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 elections is a testament to that, one which Sen. Poe should always keep in mind.
However, she has other matters that also require her immediate concern.
Must the President be a Filipino citizen?
Of course, it’s written in the constitution. It’s the law, and no one should be above the law, even if they are a potential president. But then again, since when did that ever stop anyone? A few too many times already, unfortunately.
While Sen. Poe’s critics and political opponents may continue to press the issue of her Filipino citizenship, I think that it would ultimately only serve to slow down her campaign. While the issue of her citizenship and its validity is too complicated to discuss and resolve here, the senator’s current position means it should pose no considerable threat. In truth, I admit that whatever doubts about Sen. Poe’s citizenship mostly boils down to legal technicalities, something which most Filipinos would not really care about. While it may raise questions on the validity of her seat as a senator and her bid for president, the issue on Sen. Poe’s citizenship could just practically be swept aside by overwhelming public support.
While it may be the most pressing problem that the senator faces now, I think that it diverts much needed attention away from a more important concern for Sen. Poe.
Experience and Competence
As was said earlier, popularity may get you an early lead in the polls, but it cannot guarantee victory in the elections. With that said, it is still a good indicator. Just look at how the previous elections turned out. With overwhelming public support mainly due to the death of his mother and democratic icon, former president Corazon Aquino, our current President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III triumphed in the 2010 presidential elections. I leave it to our readers to judge just how well that turned out.
The very same case can become true with Sen. Grace Poe once the election season rolls in. Like her father before her, she enjoys widespread popularity and public favor, but is offset by a considerable lack of political experience. With only a two-year tenure as the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and a bit over two years as a senator under her belt so far, I would say that Sen. Poe’s competence and skill as a politician is still in question. This is not an issue that the senator or her supporters can dismiss so easily, especially considering that her two main rivals, Jejomar Binay and Mar Roxas, are political heavyweights in their own right.
Sen. Poe is still the most popular candidate so far, but has she already proven her worth? Has she done anything to be deserving of the popularity she enjoys? I leave it to our readers to answer this for themselves, but I for one am not particularly impressed. The presidency is the highest position that one can attain in our country, and its qualifications and standards should go beyond those of mere popularity contests.
I am not saying that you should not vote for Grace Poe just because she is the most popular candidate so far, for that would just make you a contrarian for no good reason, nor am I saying that the two other candidates would fare any better. Ultimately, the decision is yours, dear reader. I only ask that you think really hard on the coming elections. Do not let popularity or lofty promises sway your vote so easily, be a wise voter. Think not only of what a candidate can do for yourself, but for the country as a whole.
In the 2004 elections, while FPJ’s movie star background became the lynchpin of his campaign, his critics and opponents often called him out for it due to his lack of political experience and competence. While popularity can get you a long way, it is not a guarantee for victory in the elections. FPJ’s defeat to the admittedly much more politically experienced and competent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 elections is a testament to that, one which Sen. Poe should always keep in mind.
However, she has other matters that also require her immediate concern.
Must the President be a Filipino citizen?
Of course, it’s written in the constitution. It’s the law, and no one should be above the law, even if they are a potential president. But then again, since when did that ever stop anyone? A few too many times already, unfortunately.
While Sen. Poe’s critics and political opponents may continue to press the issue of her Filipino citizenship, I think that it would ultimately only serve to slow down her campaign. While the issue of her citizenship and its validity is too complicated to discuss and resolve here, the senator’s current position means it should pose no considerable threat. In truth, I admit that whatever doubts about Sen. Poe’s citizenship mostly boils down to legal technicalities, something which most Filipinos would not really care about. While it may raise questions on the validity of her seat as a senator and her bid for president, the issue on Sen. Poe’s citizenship could just practically be swept aside by overwhelming public support.
While it may be the most pressing problem that the senator faces now, I think that it diverts much needed attention away from a more important concern for Sen. Poe.
Experience and Competence
As was said earlier, popularity may get you an early lead in the polls, but it cannot guarantee victory in the elections. With that said, it is still a good indicator. Just look at how the previous elections turned out. With overwhelming public support mainly due to the death of his mother and democratic icon, former president Corazon Aquino, our current President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III triumphed in the 2010 presidential elections. I leave it to our readers to judge just how well that turned out.
The very same case can become true with Sen. Grace Poe once the election season rolls in. Like her father before her, she enjoys widespread popularity and public favor, but is offset by a considerable lack of political experience. With only a two-year tenure as the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and a bit over two years as a senator under her belt so far, I would say that Sen. Poe’s competence and skill as a politician is still in question. This is not an issue that the senator or her supporters can dismiss so easily, especially considering that her two main rivals, Jejomar Binay and Mar Roxas, are political heavyweights in their own right.
Sen. Poe is still the most popular candidate so far, but has she already proven her worth? Has she done anything to be deserving of the popularity she enjoys? I leave it to our readers to answer this for themselves, but I for one am not particularly impressed. The presidency is the highest position that one can attain in our country, and its qualifications and standards should go beyond those of mere popularity contests.
I am not saying that you should not vote for Grace Poe just because she is the most popular candidate so far, for that would just make you a contrarian for no good reason, nor am I saying that the two other candidates would fare any better. Ultimately, the decision is yours, dear reader. I only ask that you think really hard on the coming elections. Do not let popularity or lofty promises sway your vote so easily, be a wise voter. Think not only of what a candidate can do for yourself, but for the country as a whole.