Candidates (l-r) Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Gringo Honasan, Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Rep. Leni Robredo and Sen. Antonio Trillanes III pose for a group picture at the conclusion of the #PiliPinas2016 Vice Presidential Debates at the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday.(MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – A political analyst was not surprised that Sen. Bongbong Marcos got a beating during the first televised vice-presidential debate.
Ramon Casiple, Executive Director of the Institute for Election Reforms, said his impression of the debate was it focused on Marcos, but it was “worth it.”
“The real issue at the vice-presidential level is Bongbong, not only because he’s leading, but because the issues being brought up—not only in the vice-presidential but also in the presidential—actually concern him.”
Casiple underlined the historical connection between the present state of poverty, peace, order, and corruption to Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law.
“There is a historical linkage between issues like poverty, peace and order, corruption. You mention those things, obligado kang pag-usapan ‘yun nangyari nung martial law,” he said.
With Marcos leading the surveys, he added “the more important issue is the fitness of Bongbong for the position considering that background.”
Casiple said Marcos’ solid base of loyalists are not likely to be swayed by the debate outcome.
“You’re talking here of Marcos loyalists—that’s hard. You’re talking here of Ilocano vote—that’s a little bit hard. And you’re talking here of the part of the youth that had not been there during the martial law—this is the soft part, but I would say that a portion of this is already hard because they have been organizing this since 2008.”
But he maintained that it is also likely for Marcos to not have additional support than his current base, saying if Marcos stands at 25%, “the 75% won’t be his.”
For Casiple, it was Rep. Leni Robredo who stood out during the debate, especially during the anti-Marcos repartee.
“From my vantage point, it was Leni Robredo who started the Marcos issue,” he said.
“It’s only Leni Robredo who doesn’t have that kind of association in the past with the Marcos regime; the families of these other candidates have that connection,” he added.
Her performance during the debate, he said, proved that she is no neophyte and that she can “more than roll with [the more experienced senators]; she dominates some issues there.”
He also commended Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, but said he was not convinced of the senator’s anti-Marcos stance.
“I have this feeling it’s all for the moment because he’s down. He’s not known to be anti-Marcos before.”
He attributed Cayetano’s aggressiveness to wooing the anti-Marcos voters.
“He’s not fighting the Marcos vote; he’s fighting for the anti-Marcos vote that’s why he needs the strong anti-Marcos image,” he explained. (MNS)