Who is your choice for president? We recently asked a friend. His answer was, I'm still trying to figure out. Then over a cup of coffee we went into a spirited discussion about each candidate.
One by one we focused on each presidentiable and appraised his or her potential on lack of it for the highest post of the land. First, we looked at Binay. Why him first? Because both of us, former scouters, know Binay as president of the BSP national council. But more than my friend, I had occasion to interact with the vice president personally years ago during the litigation of a case we filed against BSP national for attempting to dissolve the Cebu BSP Council. That move was made by Binay and his board of directors because we complained about their failure to pay the insurance claims of our boy scouts who met accidents that year.
My friend for his part said that Binay smells like a skunk because of his failure to answer the corruption findings of the Senate committee which investigated him last year. With these findings though unresolved in the court of law Binay's candidacy remains a questionable proposition to many electors.
And what about Grace Poe? We asked ourselves, what has she done to deserve the Pasig Office? Except for a few years stint in the Senate and some uneventual watch as a movie reviewer, not much can be said about her experience, much less achievements. Although allowed by the Supreme Court to pursue her ambition to be president, the questions on her citizenship and residence remain unresolved. This, plus the fact that the Comelec had disqualified her, makes her doubtfully deserving of popular support. Government with a "puso" is her catch phrase and certain sectors are touched. But the stigma of her association with PNoy's leadership is pulling her down. In fact, talks have been heard that Poe is PNoy's "Plan B" candidate who if elected can protect him from lawsuits once he is out of office.
The same stigma is the albatross hanging by the neck of the administration's fair-haired boy, Mar Roxas. In terms of bureaucratic experience he has much of this, experience unsoiled by any claims of impropriety and dishonesty. Yet why has the "teka-teka" tag got stuck in him? And why is he being smothered with the lapses of PNoy's leadership?
This is unfair because Mar is not PNoy. But being the latter's trusted cabinet man, he could have coasted clear of the president's unpopular and questionable decisions, among which is his advocacy of the DAP and PDAF which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional, Mar also shares the blame for the administration's miserable handling of the Yolanda disaster especially its lack of transparency in the use of the multi-million dollar donations from foreign countries.
Then there's the maverick presidentiable from Davao City, Digong Duterte. His track record as a city executive is well known to many particularly with regard to criminality control, drug menace counter measures, and wise use of government resources. Not a few are magnetized by these alleged achievements, but alas, as he started spelling out what he wants to do once chosen as president, dirty words and expressions came tumbling out, capped by a seemingly unguarded but terribly dirty joke about getting first serving in a rape event. Then he talked about severing ties with Australia and the US (how dare!) because acid comments about him came out from the embassies of these countries.
Duterte is a tough-talking guy, whose face aptly reflects his combative stance whenever he grapples with current issues and concerns. Social decorum is obviously not his cup of tea and many people are turned off by his unsavory but frank appraisal of things and events.
As for "Maid Miriam" or Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, why, she would be an ideal president, if only she is healthy enough for the job.
Now, who should be our choice for president? My friend and I are still trying to figure out.