Disqualification bids

The camp of Sen. Grace Poe has hinted someone is behind the several attempts designed to have her disqualified from the presidential race.

There are two who stand to benefit from Poe’s disqualification, Liberal Party standard bearer and Mar Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay, although of course the picture changes with the entry of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the race.

One newspaper columnist cited some political analysts as saying the group of Binay may be behind all of this as evidenced by the following:

First, it was United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) president Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco who made the opening salvo when he questioned the citizenship of Poe during a press conference. And then right after, a disqualification case based on citizenship questions was filed with the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) by lawyer Rizalito David, the former chief of staff of then Sen. Francisco Tatad, against Poe. Tatad is known to be an ardent supporter of Binay.

(David has also filed a disqualification case against Duterte with the Comelec last Dec. 21, opposing the Davao mayor’s substitution for PDP-Laban former standard bearer Martin Diño and branding this as null and void)

Second, David’s lawyer, Manuelito Luna, also represented Tatad in another case, this time filed with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), to disqualify Poe from the presidential race.

Third, former UE Law Dean Amado Valdez filed a disqualification case with the Comelec against Poe’s bid for the presidency. Aside from being a known supporter of both Binay and Manila mayor Joseph Estrada, sources revealed that Valdez’ son is a candidate for councilor in Manila under UNA.

And there is this other case against Poe by another lawyer, Estrella Elamparo who used to be the GSIS chief legal counsel during the incumbency of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

There are those who speculate that PGMA’s camp is out to have Poe kicked out of the race to get back at her mother Susan Roces who has accused GMA of cheating Fernando Poe Jr. or FPJ who ran and lost during his 2004 presidential bid.

And the plot thickens.

Binay’s camp speaks out

Then of course, there is Binay’s camp which says the vice-president indeed stands to gain Poe’s share of the pie in case she is disqualified from the presidential race, not because of any black ops but because he is deserving of the position.

They say that despite the intense smear campaign against him, survey results have shown that his core voting base remains strong at a quarter of the electorate.

They have consistently emphasized that Binay’s clear advantage over his rivals is his executive ability, although again there is Duterte now who is using his experience in transforming and running Davao to gain supporters.

One writer revealed that Binay personally designs and manages his campaign, networks with potential allies, and tries to reach out directly to every voter – in short he is in complete control of his campaign.

The writer continues that Binay has a knack for choosing the best person for every job and that if elected, his governing team will not be limited to classmates and cronies but instead will come from all over.

Binay says his presidency will be a healing one. Does that mean that no cases will be filed against his predecessors? And then, of course, his people underscore what he has done for Makati and how he intends to replicate this nationwide. They say that under Binay’s leadership, Makati has sustained a business-friendly environment while looking after senior citizens, educating the young and providing health care for all residents.

He promises to put in place a modern mass transit system, to bring opportunities to the rural poor by modernizing agriculture, among others.

Next time, we will try to talk about what the other presidential candidates are bringing, or promising to bring, to the table and then hopefully, we can help the electorate decide wisely.

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