Sunday, November 09, 2008 Cabaero: Presidential survey By Nini B. Cabaero Beyond 30
The recent survey on the Filipino’s top choice to succeed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2010 has been given a new flavor following the historic win of American president-elect Barack Obama.
The Social Weather Station (SWS) regularly conducts surveys on the Filipino’s top choice to succeed Arroyo when her term ends. And the election victory of Obama -- as a young candidate at 47 years old and one who promises refreshing change from the unpopularity of the incumbent -- poses a possibility that Filipino voters might want to see in the race for 2010.
The next presidential election is still a year and a half away for Filipinos but discussion on what qualities candidates must have is starting to make the rounds, especially after the latest SWS survey result and the Obama victory.
The SWS conducted its latest survey from September 24 to 27, with 1,500 respondents in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao asked to give three names of those who they think should succeed Arroyo come 2010. No list of names was provided to the respondents, a report on the survey result said.
The result was 29 percent favoring Vice President Noli de Castro, 28 percent for Senate President Manuel Villar, and 26 percent for Sen. Loren Legarda.
Others in the list were Sen. Panfilo Lacson, 17 percent; Sen. Francis Escudero, 16 percent; and former president Joseph Estrada and Sen. Manuel Roxas II, both at 13 percent.
The rest in lower percentages were President Arroyo, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Sen. Pia Cayetano, and Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr.
The result also showed nine percent could not give an answer while another nine percent had no one to recommend.
There is no surprise in this list, but then it is still too early to find a name that could be synonymous with what Obama championed during his campaign. Change. Energy and dedication of the youth. Hope. Opportunity. Equality. Is there an “Obama” in the list?
After the euphoria over Obama’s election, the talk in the Philippines has started to focus on how the Philippine elections of 2010 could be similar to the just-completed American exercise.
This would be in terms of the use of technology to reach voters, to generate campaign funds, to cast ballots and to tally the count in a matter of hours. And, of equal or more importance, this would be in terms of the quality of the presidential candidate.
Obama’s election and the Philippines’ own witnessing of the US electoral exercise through the traditional and new media raised the bar in the hopes and expectations of Filipinos for the poll process and the quality of the candidates.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)
