‘We need to be able
to test the mettle
of these candidates
as much as we can before
we all go to the polls.’
I CAUGHT the presidential candidate interviews by Jessica Soho and the GMA news team last Sunday, and it gave viewers the opportunity to listen and know more about the candidates’ stand on specific issues and well, to generally observe their body language for a longer period apart from media interviews and press conferences.
But first, congratulations to Jessica Soho and her research team for carefully crafted and researched questions. In the interest of fairness, all candidates who showed up were asked thorny if not difficult questions related to their past actions and criticism against them. All in all, it provided an informative platform for voters to get to know the candidates more, and is, I hope, one of many opportunities that will be available to voters leading up to the May 2022 elections.
I did not doubt that Vice President Leni Robredo would do well, as she truly does excel in interviews like this. Recall her performance during the vice-presidential debates back in 2016 where she consistently stood out among more seasoned politicians and caught the attention of many who had no clue who Leni Robredo was then. Now, faced with the backlash of many years of sustained propaganda and fake news against her, Robredo can use these debates and town hall events to show voters that she is more than capable of doing the job.
Sen. Ping Lacson was likewise impressive in his performance. Whether you agree with his positions or not, it’s clear that Sen. Lacson has a good command of the subject matter, and has a plan to address some of the issues confronting the country. I can understand Sen. Lacson’s appeal to a certain type of voter: those attracted to the strict military type, in the hope that the sort of style and discipline will transform the administration. The challenge for Sen. Lacson is to capture a broader base of voters beyond those who are already partial to him and his platform.
Mayor Isko Moreno’s strategy was clear from the beginning: continue to burnish his accomplishments in Manila and establish his connection with the masses by harking back to his background and life story. The first part is quite similar to President Duterte’s campaign strategy in 2016: the promise to transform the rest of the Philippines like he did in Davao City. Some watchers have already observed that Mayor Isko seems to be presenting a “Duterte Lite” image, which I suppose cannot be avoided given that both men have a certain manner and style.
I wouldn’t knock Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s performance either; he stuck to his positions and tried to explain as best as he could. While I do not personally agree with many of his positions and his approach to policy making, I did not doubt sincerity about wanting to uplift the lives of Filipinos. Good intentions count, but moving forward, Sen. Pacquiao has to show voters that he is capable of executing these plans on a much wider scale.
Bongbong Marcos missed the opportunity to show skeptics that they are wrong about him, simply by not showing up. Given his past performance in debates and candidate interviews, his team must have had reservations with allowing him to speak in a space they do not control. Recall his interviews of late and it is clear that they are managing the appearances of their candidate, agreeing only to interviews where they are assured of soft ball questions and no thorny issues will come up. Is that a good campaign strategy? Yes, given that Marcos is leading the polls, it is best to veer away from events that may result in him losing points with the audience. Is that good for voters? No, because the presidency is so much more than scripted interviews and cutting ribbons. We need to be able to test the mettle of these candidates as much as we can before we all go to the polls. When you sit as president, many things will be beyond your control; you cannot insist on just staging and orchestrating running a country.
Dear millennials and fillennials, let’s all keep watching these interviews and debates as much as we can, and encourage family and friends to do the same. Let’s all push for an informed vote as we near the elections.
