LOCAL Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II can beat Vice President Jejomar Binay in a one-on-one showdown in 2016, a Liberal Party (LP) stalwart said.
A day after a new survey showed Binay sliding down to number two spot behind Senator Grace Poe, Caloocan City Representative Edgar Erice said he is confident Roxas could beat the man who defeated him in the 2010 vice presidential race.
Erice, LP vice chair for political affairs, said if various survey firms will conduct a head-to-head outline between Binay and Roxas, the former Makati City mayor will only lead by six percent against Roxas.
"Ang magiging resulta ng survey ay 48 percent kay Binay at 42 percent kay Secretary Mar," said Erice.
Erice said Roxas could overcome Binay if another survey will be conducted before the start of the filing of certificate of candidacy in October.
"Pataas ng pataas ang rating ni Secretary Mar kaya kung silang dalawa lang ni Binay ang maglalaban sa survey didikit na siya at baka malalagpasan pa niya dahil pababa na ng pababa ang rating ni Binay," said Erice.
Binay has dominated the surveys since pollsters started conducting them in September 2014 while Roxas was lagging behind other potential candidates.
LP stalwarts were happy with the results of the latest Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing Roxas "slowly but surely catching up."
Erice said the blessing of President Benigno Aquino III, which is expected in the next couple of months, and the machinery of the administration party would boost the chances of Roxas in 2016.
"The ratings of Secretary Mar are steadily going up. If it will be a one-on-one battle, he could even beat Binay since the Vice President's ratings are going down. Besides, he has the experience and his reputation is untainted," said Erice.
Latest SWS survey released on Friday showed Poe winning the race if it was held during the June 5 to 8 survey period with 42 percent, followed by Binay (34 percent) and Roxas (21 percent, up from 15 percent).
The SWS survey results mirrored that of Pulse Asia released on Thursday. The survey said Poe is the top choice for next president of 30 percent of the 1,200 respondents, followed by Binay with 22 percent.
Roxas landed in fourth place with 10 percent, but that figure is a six-point climb from his previous four percent.
Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said that LP being the largest political party, can present a very strong line up as compared to the other political parties, which would help Roxas' bid for the presidency.
Barzaga, national president of the National Unity Party (NUP), which is allied with the LP-led majority bloc coalition in the House of Representatives, said Roxas is the perfect successor to Aquino.
"Roxas is already a few steps ahead of other candidates because of his untarnished record and reputation as a public servant," Barzaga said.
"It is very possible that some political parties, which are part of the LP coalition, might also adopt Roxas as their candidate for President," he added.
Binay's camp, on the other hand, said the Vice President would not back out from the 2016 presidential race despite the continued drop of his ratings.
"(The Vice President's plan to run for presidency in 2016) will not be pulled back because this fight is not for Vice President Binay. This fight is to give needy public a solution (they need to recover from poverty)," said Senator Nancy Binay said in a radio interview on Saturday.
The senator said they expect the drop in her father's ranking as the Pulse Asia survey was conducted at the time a Senate subpanel recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of charges against Binay, his son Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay and 22 others in connection with the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2.
The May 30 to June 5 survey period was also the time the Court of Appeals approved the petition filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the bank accounts of the Vice President, his wife Elenita Binay, Mayor Binay and some of his reported dummies.
Senator Binay said her father was not affected by the recent surveys, saying surveys were just tools, which will serve as a guide for would-be candidates.
"(Result of the Pulse Asia survey) should not be the basis of who should win or should lose in an election," she added.
When asked what the Vice President is doing to jack up his rating, the senator declined to say anything, saying such pronouncements would give her father's opponents a chance to rule out their plans. (Sunnex)