MANILA
Sen. Grace Poe hasn’t been around much. In fact, there’s a doubt, or intrigue, among her detractors that she doesn’t qualify to run for either president or vice president because she lacks the required residency in the country of 10 years.
But, for someone who’s relatively newly repatriated back here (from America), she’s been in the news a lot. She’s in the thick of speculation over whether she will run for higher office in 2016. She’s in a phenomenal situation unseen in the country since the mercurial political ascendance of Cory Aquino after the ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
What factors have come together to put Poe in such an enviable position? Who would have imagined her landing so soon in such a desirable spot of being considered for the nation’s presidency?
Frankly, she hasn’t accomplished anything of earth-shaking significance. Being a political neophyte, she hasn’t been involved in any trailblazing political initiatives or lawmaking. Except for a brief stint as chief movie “censor,” she hasn’t managed any large bureaucracy or elective government unit.
In short, she really has no experience or track record that would undeniably recommend her to a high executive position.
And yet, while she has no unassailable record to back her up, she’s currently being seriously considered for the presidency. Apparently, for some people, she doesn’t have to be able to walk on water or perform belief-defying feats of miracle to persuade them to elevate her to the presidency.
One factor that makes her attractive to some people is somewhat of a backhanded compliment: she provides an alternative to the other presidential aspirants who don’t exactly have sterling personal qualifications or backgrounds.
The heretofore front-runner in the presidential surveys, Vice President Jojo Binay, is neck-deep in corruption allegations. The barrage of accusations against Binay has persuaded a large number of people that he’s not fit to be president, as shown in the dramatic drop in his popularity among those surveyed.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte suddenly zoomed in the national consciousness recently because of his swashbuckling, Dirty Harry-like, persona. But I think recent public outings of the mayor have turned off people because of his crude style which people may have seen as unpresidential. In any case, Duterte recently stated he will not run for president in 2016.
Then, there was ousted former President Joseph Estrada who still seems to have a national following. He also has dropped out of consideration for the presidency as he prefers to stay on as mayor of Manila.
And finally, there’s Interior Secretary Mar Roxas who seems to be a capable manager and who is without any personal controversy hanging over his head. But the knock on Roxas, whether it’s true or not, is that he’s indecisive. Maybe that’s the main reason he hasn’t made much headway in the surveys.
So, the absence of a “perfect” candidate among the contenders has put the shine on Grace Poe who, like Roxas, is without any personal scandals or controversies (except for the bogus ones of citizenship and residency).
I think this is the reason many people have quickly taken to liking Poe despite her having no track record of accomplishments. Her “freshness” is a contrast to the “trapo” (a contraction of “traditional politician,” a pejorative term here; trapo is vernacular for “rag”) qualities associated with the other contenders. But her inexperience could also boomerang against her among those voters looking for political savvy and administrative abilities.
People are looking for someone new and clean. That’s why Poe is now leading in the surveys.
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