Presidential hopefuls should not be complacent nor despair – Chiz
Those on top of surveys for the 2016 presidential race should not be complacent while those at the bottom should not despair as political fortunes can change with time.
This was the observation of Sen. Francis “Chiz’’ Escudero, chairman of the Senate finance committee, of the latest survey on voters’ preference rating which showed neophyte Sen. Grace Poe gaining, from 10 percent to 18 percent, while Vice President Jejomar Binay’s rating went down by five percentage points in November after plunging 10 points in September.
Still, Binay leads the pack of potential presidential bets with a 26 percent rating. This is five percent lower from his previous 31 percent rating in September and 41 percent in July.
Escudero himself had ambitions for the presidency as a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) but withdrew to support the 2010 presidentialvice presidential dream team of then Sen. Benigno S. Aquino III and Makati Mayor Jejomar C. Binay.
In a survey by Pulse Asia, Escudero ranked 6th among the top presidentiables. When asked about this, Escudero said it is too early for him or anyone to make plans for the presidential race because things can change.
He also brushed off speculations that he, Poe and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar’’ A. Roxas II talked about prospects for the 2016 election when he was invited by Roxas to a Christmas party recently.
Roxas is a member of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) and is the presumptive LP presidential bet.
Although her rating is surging, Poe still has no plans for 2016.
While the survey “makes her heart throb,” Poe said she has no plan to seek the presidency, citing two reasons: First, her job as a lawmaker takes much of her time; and, second, the debacle that her late father, movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., faced when he was leading in the surveys in the early stages of the political campaign, but was stabbed with a political stiletto and his political support withdrawn as the 2004 presidential campaign wound down, still haunts her to this day.