Political brew

The political pot is now boiling and the kind and variety of the brew is emerging in both local and national scene. The opening of the new month saw the informal confirmation of what had been rumored for some time. The presidential candidacy of DILG Mar Roxas is now assured with the very high possibility that his running mate would be Senator Grace Poe.

LP's leading member who had been the media source of candidates in that party has said that this tandem appears to be 99 percent possible. Senate President Franklin Drilon has also mentioned Roxas to be the party's bet, the only one so far. Of course they will eventually have to bow to the choice of President Aquino.

This possibility is also high, because Roxas has lately edged higher in the surveys though a far distance from Binay and Poe. There is even a chance that Roxas will accept to be Poe's vice presidential bet although the LP is saying they want a Roxas-Poe tandem rather than otherwise.

There are others who have expressed their desire to get the Lady Senator as their vice presidential candidate. One of these is former Senator Panfilo Lacson who has already declared his intention to run and prefers Poe for a running mate.

Of course, there is the long-standing presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay who remains at the top of the list of people's preferences for president. The continuous attack by Senators Antonio Trillanes, Alan Peter Cayetano and Aquilino Pimentel III to demolish Binay has failed to dislodge the Vice President from his perch, at least for now.

Binay is expected to also offer the vice presidential slot to Poe since their tandem appears to be the most formidable among the voters. The question is whether Poe will agree to ally with Binay since she has to defer to President Aquino while Binay is busy holding off attacks against his character and moral fitness for the presidency.

If Roxas slides down to the vice presidency in the event Poe decides to run for president, the chances of Roxas' victory is higher because the others eyeing the vice presidency, like Trillanes and Cayetno are way far off. Trillanes and Cayetano showed their real character in their relentless attack against Binay that, so far, have been unproven. These two are in fact helping make a victim out of Binay. Filipinos sympathize with an underdog.

In fact, the unrelenting and harsh attacks against the Binays are still unverified and are making the people look askance at the three senators' alleged fight against corruption. This is shown by the results of the survey showing the three at the bottom rung of possible candidates for higher office.

The surveys, on the other hand, show that Poe against Binay still gives the vice president an edge although this lead has been narrowing through the months that Binay was subjected to incessant assault on his character. Not just the vice president but his entire family is being dragged into the mess. In effect, the campaign for the presidency is not only to demolish Binay as the candidate but his family as well that, if left in office will continue to control a large following and a fat campaign kitty.

The intent seems to be to paint them as corrupt and therefore should be excised from the political scene. Indeed, the family is into politics, from parents to children. They have become a political dynasty but a dynasty that is accepted by the electorate. Thus the tirade is to take them all out because the family members remain a formidable machine for bringing in the votes.

Poe does not have this machine but she stands on solid moral ground, untarnished by charges of corruption. She capitalizes on the popularity and incorrupt and scandal-free family, a stark contrast to the political hordes now wanting to lead this country in 2016. Indeed she is perceived as the complete opposite of Binay, et al.

A Roxas-Poe tandem does not necessarily mean the people will vote straight as our political history shows. If Binay retains his lead in the surveys, then a possible Binay-Poe can emerge the winners in 2016 in the same way that Aquino won while Roxas, his running mate lost.

I wonder why Roxas' corruption-free character is not given much publicity when this is the best contrast and a countervailing force to Binay's popularity. The issue in the next election is corruption, and definitely, Binay is on the defensive.*

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