Political cauldron

It is still more than 800 days before the presidential elections in 2016 in the Philippines but the political cauldron has started to boil. Vice President Jejomar Binay, a former mayor of Makati City and chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, set off the fire when he announced he was bolting his own party, the PDP-Laban, and would form his own party for his expected presidential run. Binay added more fuel to speculations when he also announced that he and his group was considering popular actress and Batangas Governor Rosa Vilma Santos, wife of Sen. Ralph Recto, as candidate for Vice President. Binay also revealed that world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, former Cebu Governor now Congresswoman Gwendolyn Garcia and Rep. Martin Romualdez will be in his party’s senatorial lineup.
Binay’s announcement set off a flurry of announcements from rival contenders and their supporters. The Liberal Party and the camp of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, widely perceived to have the blessing and the heir apparent of sitting President Benigno S. Aquino III, floated the name of presidential sister and popular actress and television host Bernadette Kristina Aquino, Kris for short, as runningmate. Then Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano of the Nacionalista Party announced he was running for president even as topnotch Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. disclosed that he was wide open to the idea of running for president under the Lakas party which is identified with former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Names of other presidential timbers and possible candidate for the number one post of the land then surfaced: Senators Francis Escudero, an independent, of Sorsogon; Ferdinand Marcos Jr., heir to the clan of the late President Ferdinand Marcos; and Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, last elections’ topnotcher and daughter of the late actor and presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. Earlier, no-nonsense Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was urged to run for president and a petition has circulated and has been signed by more than 800,000 voters for him to run. A dark horse is former President now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada who made a good showing in the last presidential elections by coming in second to Mr. Aquino by collecting more than nine million votes. But since he is an ally of Binay, it is perceived that he might slide to Vice President to avoid dividing and preserve unity in the opposition camp. Another presidentiable being mentioned is highly successful businessman Manny V. Pangilinan who now heads big business empires in the country and abroad.
It is too early for the political parties to make the final and definitive decisions for the 2016 presidential elections. It is also too early for the voters to make their choices as everything may yet change as the elections near. What should be emphasized is that the political ambitions of the nation’s leaders should not distract the programs and services of government. For one, despite what is touted as economic growth, the number of jobless Filipinos has swelled and their needs must be addressed. The millions of people who were victims of typhoons and other calamities in many parts of the country need assistance for the short term and the long term. We urged our leaders not to lose their focus on their needy countrymen while they chart their political future.