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MANILA, Philippines – She was a guest candidate of 3 parties in the 2010 polls but this does not stop Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago from warning politicians following her footsteps.
Santiago said common or so-called shared candidates of the ruling Liberal Party and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) might end up with no support from either side.
In a speech at a business forum in Bacolod City on Friday, September 28, Santiago said that “usually the reaction of the other candidates in both tickets is envy and suspicion.”
“In every election, the basic problem is how to convince every senator in the ticket to campaign for the whole ticket. Usually, a senatoriable ends up campaigning only for himself or his special friends,” Santiago said.
Santiago was referring to possible common candidates in the 2013 senatorial elections: Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chairperson Grace Poe-Llamanzares.
‘Surveys rule’
Legarda and Escudero rank 1st and 2nd in the September Pulse Asia survey, respectively, while Llamanzares placed 17-23.
“The phenomenon of common candidates might indicate that the surveys rule the campaign,” Santiago said. “If a senatoriable does not rank high in the surveys, he is likely to be dropped and replaced with someone who is among the top 12 candidates.”
In 2010, Santiago ran under her own People’s Reform Party but was a common candidate of Sen Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party, former President Joseph Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, and former President Arroyo’s Lakas-Kampi-CMD.
Escudero has cited Santiago’s case to defend his decision to run under both slates.
“Nangyari na rin iyan sa mga nagdaang pagkakataon kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko sa ilang mga naging senador din katulad nina Senator [Bong] Revilla noon at Senator Santiago sa magkaibang eleksyon,” Escudero said on Thursday, September 27. (It also happened in past elections with senators like Senator Revilla and Senator Santiago in different elections.
‘Transition period’
Santiago said the existence of common candidates is indicative of a transition period in Philippine politics.
“The old senators are considered overstaying whil the young senators are considered immature or incompetent,” she said.
Santiago added, “The phenomenon of common candidates might be an indication that the public believes that the present crop of candidates do not live up to the expectations of the electorate such as academic and professional excellence.” – Rappler.com
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