Who Should You Take with Your Presidential Pick?

The 2016 Phil. Vice Presidential Candidates.  Image from www.philstar.com

After the two previous posts on the 2016 Presidential hopefuls I shall now look at the Vice Presidential candidates.

This shouldn't be as difficult as choosing a President, at least if you think the way I do.

Unlike the system in the United States we still need to pick a Vice President.  In the US, the President and Vice President positions are a package. I think that system is very reasonable because the Vice President, as former President Joseph Estrada refers to it, practically exists as a "spare tire" only.

So for practical purposes and for the reason stated above, I'd say just vote for the running mate of your Presidentiable.

But if you want a little more personal analysis then do read on.


Most critical at this point.

Since there's a high likelihood of a Duterte presidency, Duterte supporters should vote for Alan Peter Cayetano for 3 Reasons:

1.  To help hold Duterte accountable.  Detractors, and I believe even some supporters, are afraid of Duterte's unpredictability.  Duterte committed in public that he will listen to Cayetano and let's all hope he does.

2.  I think if a Duterte presidency becomes successful then Cayetano deserves credit as this may be a stroke of Cayetano genius.  I mentioned this in the first post on the Presidentiables.

3.  I believe Cayetano fares well as regards merit, capability, intellect and his stand on several issues.  We see this in regular interviews, Senate hearings and in the Corona impeachment where he was one of those who consistently raised the most insightful and even practical questions as a Senator-Judge.  More about Cayetano's thoughts on THIS post.


I don't see any breaking issues against Leni Robredo, Chiz Escudero and Gringo Honasan.

The BicoLeni Express should be allowed to gain traction now and in the coming years.  I believe in her sincerity and capability.  I am a male but I honestly believe that women can lead as well as men and can even be more reliable and have greater integrity.

If you listen to Grace Poe-Llamanzares then it's like you are also listening to Chiz Escudero, with a little less legalese.  And I don't mean this in any negative way.

Honasan was a celebrated hero back in the days.  Does he have some ammunition left?  Perhaps one of the things that takes him out of the race is his choice of a Presidential running mate.

It is just a coincidence that they are all from the same region where I came from and where I now reside.   I have no big questions about the merits, capability and patriotism of the three candidates.  So if you're not a Duterte supporter, just go ahead and vote for the tandem they are associated with.

Bongbong Marcos.  The other survey leader aside from Leni Robredo.  Now this is a little more tricky.

Let us spend a few minutes with him since he is one of the more polarizing figures in Philippine politics.  A lot of people can't believe he is actually leading the Vice Presidential race.  They can't believe that  after the Martial Law period and EDSA an immediate kin of Ferdinand Marcos is once again threatening to gain a top national office.  "What is wrong with our people?"  They ask incredulously.

I think they need to understand that the Ilocanos, at least a great majority of them are loyal to the Marcos "brand".  It never subsided.  I grew up in a mining camp in the north in Benguet province and I don't think I am not wrong to assume that most of the people whom I lived and grew up with will still vote for a Marcos.  It is not even a matter of consideration to them.   If not for the education I had back in college then I would still think and vote exactly the way they would.

Be that as it may, I wish (perhaps in vain) for the sake of the country, that somehow the Marcoses would not continue living in denial of the regime's human rights violations.  How difficult  would it be to even say "We are sorry it happened.  There were people under my father who may have done things beyond the orders and authority given to them."  -- should that be true.  But yeah, not likely to happen.  And about the ill-gotten wealth?  More unlikely.    Will these be forgotten by a Duterte-Cayetao tandem?  No, according to Cayetano.  But should Marcos be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, according to Duterte, yes.

As a student of Philippine government and history I just could not simply take either of the Marcos and Aquino sides in full, the way either of them want all of us to believe without questions.

Finally, the only independent candidate, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Well, what can I say?  How can I describe a person who wants to run for a spare tire position without a main tire?  What does that say about him?  As an independent Vice President he cannot be expected to support any President's programs.  He might as well stay in the Senate or hope for a cabinet position.

I personally believe that the young Oakwood Mutineers/Officers back in 2003 were motivated by nationalist sentiments but how can an ordinary citizen like me support someone I see on TV who is always talking like he's the only patriot in this country who has a brain?  People have bashed Duterte for his ego but there may be others brewing in the periphery of national politics.

If you want to read other thoughts and voting patterns on the Vice Presidents, read Politics of Spare Tires by Ma. Lourdes Tyquia of the Manila Times written several months ago when Marcos and Cayetano were still trying to book a tandem with Duterte.

Again, for me, if you're voting for Duterte, then you must take Cayetano with him.
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