ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Administration bets are normally seen to have the upper hand in national elections. But for Manuel Roxas II, the administration’s standard-bearer, that isn’t the case.

“Palagay ko, agawan ito kung sino ang underdog pero tayo ang underdog di ba?” said Roxas on Thursday, September 24, on the sidelines of a visit to a maritime school in this city. (This is going to be a contest of who the underdog is but clearly, I’m the underdog here, right?)

Roxas was asked about Vice President Jejomar Binay’s previous claim that he was the “underdog” in the coming 2016 elections.

Binay, the standard-bearer of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), was the front runner in early presidential preference surveys until corruption allegations against him and his family surfaced and he refused to face a Senate probe early this year. His ratings plummeted after.

The latest surveys put Senator Grace Poe, who is also running for president, ahead of Binay and Roxas. In a Social Weather Stations (SWS) “top of mind” survey held in early September, Poe ranked first, Roxas second, and Binay third.

Another SWS poll which asked respondents to only pick one presidential candidate from a list of 12, puts all 3 at a statistical tie, given the margin of error. Poe was still the top pick in that survey, followed by Binay and then Roxas. 

Prior to President Benigno Aquino III’s endorsement, Roxas’ numbers were dismal – as low as  4%. In contrast, both Poe and Binay have enjoyed high ratings in early presidential preference surveys.  

Roxas’ numbers surged recently after the endorsement and after he went all out in campaigning.

“Hindi ko naman ito binabalewala, hindi naman tayo nagiging complacent. Patuloy tayong magprepresenta ng ating plataporma, patuloy nating ipapakita yung mga kongkretong nangyari na… upang lalong makita at makumbinsi ang mga kababayan natin na dito na tayo sa Daang Matuwid,” said Roxas. (We are not dismissing the survey numbers… [but] we’re not going to be complacent. We will continue presenting our platform. We’ll continue showing the people what this administration has already achieved so that they see for themselves and are convinced that it’s better to stick to the Daang Matuwid.)

Daang Matuwid is the administration’s catch-all phrase for its anti-corruption, good governance, and transparency platform. Roxas’ campaign is centered on the idea that he would be able to continue the supposed gains of the administration. 

So for Roxas, his advantage in the May 2016 elections is not the resources of the government but its “track record.” 

“I don’t think that it’s the resource as much as the track record. Itong nakaraang limang taon, hindi naman siguro natin ikakaila na malayo ang narating narin. Whether it’s in the fiscal reform sector, anti-corruption drive, infrastructure, sa pagkalinga at aruga ng ating kababayan… ay malinaw na malinaw ang mga datos… na umangat na nga tayo,” he said.  (I don’t think you can deny that in the past 5 years, we’ve done a lot. Whether it’s in the fiscal reform sector, anti-corruption drive, infrastructure or in taking care of our countrymen, the data is clear, we’re doing better now.) 

The ruling Liberal Party (LP) is set to announce its senatorial slate on Monday, September 28. Roxas, like Binay, has yet to name his running mate. Poe’s running mate is Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. – Rappler.com