Noynoy strong in survey

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has rated strongly in a survey of presidential contenders conducted shortly before the announcement of his intention to run in the 2010 elections under the Liberal Party.

Makati Business Club president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said the unreleased survey, conducted by a prominent polling group, showed “hopeful results” for Aquino’s presidential bid.

But another source who declined to be named said Aquino rated significantly higher than consistent survey topnotcher Sen. Manuel Villar, former president Joseph Estrada, Sen. Francis Escudero, and Vice President Noli de Castro in a Social Weather Stations survey in Metro Manila and in some vote-rich regions in Luzon. The details of the survey are yet to be released.

It was not clear whether Del Rosario and the other source, who is from the business community, were talking about the same survey.

LP stalwart and former Batanes Rep. Florencio Abad said the party is aware of the survey.

Del Rosario was a speaker at the US Embassy-sponsored seminar on “Strengthening Democracy Through Ethical Leadership and Effective Citizen Participation” held in Tagaytay City.

In the question and answer portion of the program, Del Rosario voiced his preference for Aquino among the presidential wannabes and told his audience about the existence of the survey.

The STAR source, on the other hand, said the SWS survey was done between Sept. 5 and 6 or before Aquino announced his presidential plans after partymate Sen. Manuel Roxas II withdrew for the sake of party unity.

“I just want to say that this survey was not commissioned by (Senator Aquino). This is not self-serving,” the source, who is from the business community, said.

He said Aquino has already been made aware of the results of the survey.

“I think this will be announced very soon,” the source said, referring to the survey results.

“Someone signed an agreement with SWS and only that person can authorize the release of the results,” the source added.

Del Rosario, who had been active in rallies against the Arroyo administration, said Aquino could best lead the country following the legacy of his parents, former senator and national hero Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and the late former president Corazon Aquino.

Del Rosario stressed his support for Aquino is personal and does not reflect the position of the Makati Business Club, of which he is a director.

“We now have renewed hope that we can look forward to a new dawn where accountability and good governance prevail over abuse and deceit,” he said in his speech.

“From apathy, we now see a reinvigorated citizenry,” Del Rosario added.

“With the outpouring of our people’s support for President Cory and all she stood for, it is as if we have looked the enemy in the eye and served notice: ‘Your time is near. You can no longer mislead, deceive, or intimidate us. We will build a better nation and will sweep aside anyone who tries to stop us’,” Del Rosario said.

The businessman said he would see in the coming weeks how Aquino would present himself as the next president through his platform and position on various issues.

Del Rosario said various movements were being formed and though they were disparate and unorganized, there was a common thread running through them.

“There is a shared assessment that the state of governance in the country has become intolerable and that people must act now on their own to bring back the good and fight corruption, injustice and abuse,” he said.

“In short, people are calling to bring back ethical leadership and are willing to participate as citizens to bring this about. This is one of the most significant developments as far as protecting and enhancing Philippine democracy is concerned,” he said.

He said the greater threat to democracy is not an openly acknowledged dictator but a “dictatorship masquerading as democracy.”

“And this lie can only be maintained if the people remain unthinking, uncaring and fearful,” Del Rosario said.

Higher level

Meanwhile, Aquino said he is eager to slug it out with Escudero and cousin Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro in next year’s elections and raise the campaign to a higher level.

Escudero is eyeing the endorsement of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, which is led by Aquino’s maternal uncle, business tycoon Eduardo Cojunagco Jr.

The NPC will meet on Oct. 23 at the NPC clubhouse in Quezon City to decide who between Escudero and Sen. Loren Legarda will represent the party in 2010. The two said they would abide by the party’s decision.

Teodoro, for his part, is seeking the Lakas-Kampi-CMD endorsement, together with Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando. Vice President Noli de Castro has not yet formally announced his plans for 2010.

“We might reach a new level in politics. We’re friends and not likely to engage in mudslinging. Ours will likely be a fight based on the platforms of our party,” Aquino said in Filipino.

“Lately, Chiz (Escudero) has been defending a number of his proposed bills, and I have also been pre-occupied sponsoring mine so we have not talked much,” he said.

“Sen. Escudero and I have been good friends since the impeachment (proceedings against President Arroyo at the Lower House). We agree on many issues since then,” Aquino said.

“Since then, Chiz and I stood for similar issues. So there are many reasons why we should be together in this fight,” he added.

Aquino, meanwhile, said he had worked with Teodoro for the development of their home province Tarlac when they were still congressmen.

He said they share many “commonalities” despite their being from different political parties.

“If Chiz can help bring politics to a higher level, I’m sure my cousin can, too,” he said in Filipino.

Open to unity

Aquino, meanwhile, said he has not closed the doors on possible unity talks with Estrada or with other groups, including the Rebolusyunaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM), which launched coups against the administration of his late mother.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to a riverside slum area in Barangay Doña Imelda, Quezon City, Aquino said unity is “not out of the picture.”

“If I am ready to talk with the group that launched coups against my mother. I think I would even be readier to talk with President Estrada,” he said.

The senator admitted that Estrada’s decision not to endorse him will have an effect on his campaign but will not be enough to spoil his chances.

“I saw some surveys and the results were not bad,” he said.

When pressed further about the surveys, the senator simply said, “I am smiling. And my allies and supporters will also have big smiles.”

He stressed that he cannot turn a blind eye on corruption and other irregularities in the current administration. “I cannot be like a monkey who will see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil,” he said.

In a visit to the Baseco Compound in Tondo, a known bailiwick of Estrada, Aquino said he would be innovating on the styles of his parents.

“My approach (in the campaign) is a combination of my dad and mom. My dad’s flamboyance and my mom’s consultation… I am a student of both my parents,” he said, adding that his would be a “people-based campaign.”

No walk in the park

Meanwhile, Lito Banayo, a former political strategist of Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, said Aquino’s close links to his parents could be both beneficial and disadvantageous to him.

“It’s not a ‘walk in the park’ for him… Ninoy is now considered a martyr and a hero while Cory, after her death, had assumed a person almost of sainthood. If Noynoy becomes a candidate now, the memories of Ninoy and Cory will become fodder,” he said during the “Covering Automated Elections and

Campaign Finance” seminar of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism at the Subic Freeport.

He said the younger Aquino might be haunted by some unresolved issues of the Aquino administration, including the exclusion of Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, the Mendiola massacre and the operation of the so-called “Kamag-anak Inc.”

“(President Aquino) assumed a very fruitful reverie of the president of the country in comparison with what followed, especially the present administration. Opponents might revive old issues,” he added.

Aside from this, Banayo said Aquino would have to deal with the limited reach of the Liberal Party.

“The Liberal Party has no infrastructure in Mindanao… He cannot rely only on the LP. He needs more vehicles. He needs to unite the opposition minus Erap and Villar,” he said. – Aurea Calica and Elisa Osorio (The Philippine Star) with Evelyn Macairan, Christina Mendez, Sheila Crisostomo, Perseus Echeminada, Eva Visperas and Cecille Suerte Felipe