#TalkThursday: Chiz Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines – For the April 19 edition of #TalkThursday, Maria Ressa will talk to Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, a charismatic political figure, on the impeachment process, the 2013 elections and more.

Escudero, who nearly topped the senatorial elections in 2007, was an early favorite for the 2010 elections. A close friend of President Benigno Aquino, he played a role in Aquino’s election campaign but openly went against Aquino’s running mate, Mar Roxas, to endorse now Vice-President Jejomar Binay.

What is in store for Escudero, whose term expires in 2013? Will he join Binay’s political party, UNA?

As a young legislator, will Escudero represent a new brand of politics?

For the second April 19 edition of #TalkThursday, Maria Ressa will also talk to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, a fierce critic of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, on the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the 2013 senatorial race, and more.

Cayetano is the Senate minority leader. Consistently neutral in his questions during the impeachment, he says he will decide based on the merits of the case. A member of the Nacionalista Party, Cayetano and his Nacionalista Party block, which consists of four members, could be a sway vote in the impeachment trial. 

Will his party ally with the emerging opposition block UNA, Vice President Jejomar Binay’s political party? 

Can politics truly be taken out of the impeachment trial with the 2013 elections just around the block? 

What should we expect from Cayetano whose first 6-year term as a Senator ends in 2013?   – Rappler.com