Back to Club: Are allies, incumbents key for Roxas-Robredo?

Bea Cupin

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Back to Club: Are allies, incumbents key for Roxas-Robredo?

Ben Nabong

The Liberal Party gathers at the historic Club Filipino for a 'show of force,' highlighting the party's incumbency

MANILA, Philippines – It’s back to Club Filipino.

With less than a month to go before Filipinos cast their votes on May 9, the ruling Liberal Party (LP) on Thursday, April 14, gathers its members and allies at the historic Club Filipino.

The ruling party’s standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II and running mate Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo, as well as party chairman President Benigno Aquino III are all expected to attend what media and political observers are dubbing as either a “show of force” or a “loyalty check.”

The “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path)” coalition’s senatorial bets will also be attending the event.

It’s a gathering that comes at a crucial time for Roxas, Robredo and the ruling party. With roughly 25 days to go before D-day, Roxas has yet to place first or even second in a tight 5-way presidential race. Earlier this week, Roxas’ friend-turned-foe Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte seemingly distanced himself from his closest rival, Senator Grace Poe, according to the latest surveys.

Robredo is faring a little better – at a statistical tie for second – but will still have to beat incumbent senators Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Francis Escudero for the vice presidency.

Club Filipino is also where Roxas and Robredo launched their respective bids – Roxas in late July and Robredo in October, weeks before the filing of candidacies.

It’s a historic venue for the ruling party.

Back in 2009, Club Filipino was where Roxas, who was slated to be the standard-bearer of the LP, slid down to make way for Aquino whose popularity then skyrocketed after the death of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino.

President Aquino also announced his bid for the presidency in Kalayaan Hall, the same place where his late mother took her oath as president after the fall of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship.

The LP’s incumbency

But more than just being a “show of force” in terms of warm bodies, as event will highlight the LP’s incumbency. Of over 234 legislators at the House of Representatives, the LP-led coalition has over 197 allies of which 31 are running unopposed.

In local politics, the numbers favor the LP event more.

Sixty-seven out of 82 governors are allied with the ruling party, with 8 running unopposed. Roughly 2/3 of highly urbanized cities (HUC) – meaning cities with big populations – are allied with the ruling party. Twenty-three of 34 HUC chief executives are with the LP.

Roxas himself has said that they’re banking on the power of incumbency, particularly at the local level.

Kasisimula pa naman lang ng local. Nakita ninyo, kanina, lahat ng mga kapitan, lahat ng mga kagawad, ang ating mga congressman at mayors, ay sumusuporta sa Daang Matuwid,” he told reporters in a press conference on April 12.

(The local campaign has just started. You’ve seen it yourselves. Village leaders, congressmen, mayors support “Daang Matuwid.”)

Daang Matuwid” is the Aquino administration’s tagline for its anti-corruption, transparency, and good governance drive. It’s at the core of Roxas and the ruling party’s campaign: the continuity of the supposed gains of the Aquino administration.

Another presidential rival, Vice President Jejomar Binay had earlier said the race would still be between himself as Roxas, owing to their respective political machineries. Binay is the standard-bearer of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

Roxas himself agrees.

But hand-in-hand with the prestige and machinery that comes with being the administration’s standard bearer are its downfalls: the administration’s failures are Roxas’ too.

The former interior chief has been criticized for his performance in the Cabinet, particularly when he headed relief efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Roxas has also had to defend himself and the administration from allegations of selective justice, ineptitude, lack of inclusivity in economic growth, and its missteps in improving the state of transportation. – Rappler.com

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Bea Cupin

Bea is a senior multimedia reporter who covers national politics. She's been a journalist since 2011 and has written about Congress, the national police, and the Liberal Party for Rappler.