The Binay experiment
VICE President Jejomar Binay's current “early bird catches worm” move is interesting. He seems bent on getting the record for earliest open campaigning for the presidency post-marcos. If he succeeds and become president in 2016, his template will be copied by the ambitious.
Binay was once a guest in Sun.star's roundtable forum held during the campaign period for the 2010 polls. That he took time to talk with us even if he had an entire nation to woo speaks volumes of his work ethic as a campaigner for the post of vice president. No wonder he edged the Liberal Party's bet, Mar Roxas, in the count.
It is not often that a mayor would be able to leapfrog to the vice presidency, but Binay did that partly on the strength of his focus and determination. He used rich Makati City as base to forge ties with other local government officials in the country and the city's resources to introduce himself to a national constituency through TV commercials.
This, plus a compelling campaign strategy that included riding on the coattails of the popularity of both his running mate Joseph Estrada and Roxas's running mate Noynoy Aquino, allowed him to take the lead at the homestretch. For Binay, long-term presentation did seem to work.
But will this also work in 2016?
Binay should realize that gunning for the presidency is a much different ballgame than angling for the post of vicepresident. A vice-presidential bet can go under the radar; a candidate for vice president can't. That is why politicians zeroing in on the presidency don't usually make their intention known early. Early birds also become early subject of scrutiny and are targeted early for demolition.
Now and 2016 is still miles away, and many things can happen on the way to the next presidential polls. That is why Binay's move starting in the 2013 midterm elections can be considered risky. He could peak or be destroyed early. This brings to mind former House speakers Ramon Mitra and Jose de Venecia. Both prepared early for the presidency and both failed miserably.
While results of recent surveys have shown Binay's popularity and trust worthiness to be high, that is not permanent. As vice president who belongs to a party different from that of Pnoy, he has been able to distance himself from whatever the failings of the administration are. He is doing his thing, again, below the radar.
That is starting to change now that he is taking the bull by the horn, sort of, as far as the 2013 elections are concerned. He took the lead in the formation of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), partnering his Partido Demokratikong Pilipinas (Pdp)-laban with Erap's Partido ng Masang Pilipino. That placed him at the center of things in the electoral sphere, and he is reaping what he is sowing.
Binay is now being scrutinized for the company he is keeping. Politicians who were displaced by the ascendancy of Pnoy and his Liberal Party are linking up with him with the hope of resurrecting their careers. They include all-out trapos and those with questionable records as public servants. Even rabid supporters of former president Gloria MacapagalArroyo are finding hope in him.
If Binay will be careless, he may yet end up in the political dustbin in 2016. He must be told that collecting political leaders without considering their background and public image won't work. It has been done more masterfully by de Venecia, the original “Sunshine Joe.” His bid for the presidency floundered in the end.