Connecting the candidates: What links presidential, VP bets?

Jodesz Gavilan

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Connecting the candidates: What links presidential, VP bets?
The roster of presidential and vice presidential bets for the 2016 elections shows how intertwined the lives of these candidates have been

MANILA, Philippines – In politics, it’s often said, there are “no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.”

This holds true even in the Philippine political arena. Besides being dominated by politicians from influential dynasties, Philippine politics has also seen an abundance of turncoats – or people who switch allegiances all too quickly.

Politicians who have turned rivals may have even considered each other as friends one time before. Or they could come from the same clan, or even have relatives working for a rival’s camp.

The roster of presidential and vice presidential bets for the 2016 elections shows how intertwined the lives of these candidates – most of whom are seasoned politicians – have been. For one, most of the candidates ran together under the same coalition in previous elections.

What other links do they have to each other? Here’s what we found.

Among the presidential candidates, it’s Manuel “Mar” Roxas II who is the most connected to the other bets seeking the presidency. Among the vice presidential contenders, it’s Francis “Chiz” Escudero who has the most links to his other rivals.

Note: Move your cursor over the surrounding faces of candidates to read more about their links to the candidate in the middle of the circle. Make sure to minimize the pop-up ad if it appears in the photo.

Small world

Filipino politicians mostly move in a small world.

In 2013, for example, majority of reelectionists at the local level (governor, congressman, and city mayors) ran under a party or alliance different from what carried them to victory in the previous election. They went against the individuals they previously pledged their loyalties to.

With a little over two weeks left before the May 9 polls, De La Salle University’s College of Liberal Arts Dean Julio Teehankee said in a Rappler podcast that the homestretch is the “time when old alliances are broken and new partnerships are made.” (PODCAST: ‘Image, message and machine’ will lead a candidate to Malacañang)

Whether or not these new partnerships and alliances will hold until the next elections in 2022 remains to be seen. – Infographic by Nico Villarete/Rappler.com 

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Jodesz Gavilan

Jodesz Gavilan is a writer and researcher for Rappler and its investigative arm, Newsbreak. She covers human rights and impunity beats, producing in-depth and investigative reports particularly on the quest for justice of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and war on dissent.