‘Next president needs sophistication to run country’

Two administration lawmakers said yesterday managing the country’s economy is a complex job that requires more than simple "practical intelligence."

"With the difficulties we are facing. It is imperative that we support a leadership that shows proven capability to keep the economy on its feet, a president who can generate jobs," Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.

Citing the results of the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Pangilinan said the people are realizing they should elect a president who can effectively manage the affairs of the national economy and generate more jobs.

"It is no surprise that President Arroyo received high marks from the business community. The reality is fast catching up, as shown in the latest SWS survey," he said.

He said the average voter is intelligent enough to distinguish those "who have a clear grasp of issues from those who have not and those who have a proven record of leadership and accomplishment from those who have none."

Sen. Robert Barbers, for his part, said President Arroyo is still the candidate to beat in the May 10 elections.

He said the public has finally realized what the country needs is a seasoned and experienced leader to hold the reins of government.

"The voting public have finally seen the light and realized what the country needs is a leader like GMA who possessed all the necessary skills, knowledge and experience which could uplift the economy," Barbers said.

Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles, for his part, said the dramatic recovery of Mrs. Arroyo in the SWS survey ratings has rekindled the confidence of businessmen and investors which will eventually result in the improvement in the value of the peso and the economy.

Nograles said the latest survey has Mrs. Arroyo trailing the frontrunner, movie actor and opposition presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. by a "manageable" nine percentage points.

Nograles also noted that Mrs. Arroyo was the runaway winner while Poe did not get any votes in the mock poll conducted by the Makati Business Club (MBC).

"President Arroyo is within hitting distance and will overtake FPJ (Poe) in the next survey," Nograles said.

The Davao lawmaker said party leaders of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas) are buoyed by the report on the latest survey ratings, which served as an inspiration for them to strive harder to gain more support for Mrs. Arroyo’s bid for a full six-year term in the May polls.

Nograles blamed Poe’s entry in the presidential race as one of the possible factors that caused the peso to depreciate further against the US dollar.

Poe, an action movie star and high-school dropout with no political experience, has been leading voter surveys because of his popularity with the country’s poor.

But a number of business leaders expressed fears that Poe could reprise the failed presidency of his bosom buddy, deposed leader Joseph Estrada.

After Poe announced his bid for president in November, the peso quickly fell to one of its lowest exchange rates against the US dollar.

Nograles said the business community simply does not simply trust a Poe presidency, notwithstanding the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) dismissal last month of the disqualification case against the opposition candidate on grounds that he is not a natural-born Filipino.

"These could not be a series of coincidence as they appear to be related to a possible presidential victory for FPJ," Nograles said.

Nograles said Mrs. Arroyo’s high approval rating showed the "thinking public" are now forming a critical mass.

Administration lawmakers Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Taguig-Pateros Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano said former education secretary Raul Roco’s hitting Mrs. Arroyo and the latest SWS survey are "a sign of desperation." – With Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez