Bet pitches for ‘new No.2’ versus frontrunner Marcos
Former defense secretary Norberto Gonzales on Sunday floated the idea of picking a “new Number 2”, referring to Vice President Leni Robredo, who has been trailing presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in pre-election surveys.
Gonzales made the pitch at a joint press conference with Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, where other presidential candidates later discrediting the accuracy of surveys, claiming that they have evidence that these are “polluted.”
Gonzales, also a former national security adviser, claimed that the public wants a different contender to challenge Marcos as he pointed at the latter’s wide lead against Robredo.
“Kaya palagay ko mas mabuti siguro dapat isantabi natin yung Number Two at tingnan natin ‘yung three, four, five, six. Baka nandoon ang puwedeng lumaban sa Number 1 na hinahanap ng taumbayan natin… parang ayaw nila ‘yung Number Two ngayon na siyang lumaban sa Number One,” Gonzales said.(I think it’s better if we could put aside number two and look at options three, four, five, six. Maybe the right candidate our people are looking for to go against number one would be among those… because it seems like they don’t want the current number two to challenge number one.)
“Change player kung kailangan (if necessary),” he said.
Lacson and Moreno pushed the same point at the press conference, with both saying that voters may be inclined to vote for Marcos out of dislike or distrust of Robredo and the Liberal Party of which she is chair.
Moreno again raised the inaccurate argument that politics in the Philippines since the 1986 People Power Revolution has been centered on the Marcoses and the Aquinos.
Continuing the theme of using basketball terms, Moreno later urged Robredo: “Pa-sub ka naman (Let someone else play).”
Gonzales later said that attacking frontrunner Marcos will only benefit Robredo, which was why taking aim at her made more sense.
The latest survey by Pulse Asia Research showed that Marcos is still the top choice in the presidential race by a wide lead of 56% against Vice President Leni Robredo’s 24%.
In the same survey, Moreno ranked third with eight percent, Sen. Manny Pacquiao was at fourth place with six percent, Sen. Lacson at fifth with two percent.
Gonzales ranked last out of the ten presidential candidates.
PROMISE TO SERVE
Gonzales later suggested that presidential rival Lacson had promised him a Cabinet position should Lacson win the country’s top post.
He also told the audience in jest that he will be speaking with another presidential aspirant, Moreno, on the possibility of getting a position in his Cabinet should the Manila mayor win.
Four presidential bets called a press conference at five-star hotel Peninsula Manila in Makati on Easter Sunday to tell the public that none of them will be backing out from the race despite lagging in pre-election polls.
Gonzales, Lacson, Moreno, and Pacquiao in a joint statement promised the Filipino people that they will be “offering services” no matter the result of the upcoming elections. The candidates also promised that they will be finishing their campaigns.
Only Gonzales, Moreno, and Lacson, along with vice-presidential candidates Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Dr. Willie Ong, made it to the briefing at the hotel on Sunday.
“Hopefully after this press conference, more Filipinos will be enlightened that there are a lot of choices, not just two,” Lacson said.—