Gibo-Ronnie tandem gets clear edge

Gibo-Ronnie tandem gets clear edge

Filipinos are looking at four tandems for the 2010 elections: Gibo-Ronnie, Noynoy-Mar, Chiz and Erap whose running mates are still unidentified as of yet.

Who has the edge among the four, is the strongest and whose strength will last even up until the election period?

Surveys show that even with all the mud thrown at President Arroyo, she still has a solid 25% support (or approval rating) among Filipinos, that would translate into about 8.25 million voters going to the anointed bets of President Arroyo.

The rest of those dissatisfied with the President, which number around 45% would vote for the other opposition bets—meaning that the likes of Noynoy, Erap and Chiz would have to fight over this 45%. The 30% who are undecided could go either way.

This scenario gives the Gibo-Ronnie team a head start because even without doing anything they are already assured of 8.25 million of the 10 million votes or so needed to win in 2010, just by being identified with President Arroyo.

The Gibo-Ronnie tandem is assured of some 8 million votes at the start of the race by just being endorsed by President Arroyo.

The Noynoy-Mar tandem’s familiarity and good smell to people are too limited, and cannot sustain until the election period. They have to work hard to earn people’s votes for them. Their works are obvious. We have Noynoy using her sister Kris Aquino who dominates most of the shows on a TV network and whose frankness irritates the public. Mar is using a lot of expensive infomercials like “Padyak,” but he still has not earned points from people. Chiz is still waiting for his 40th birthday to qualify to run for Presidency. Erap? I cannot believe an impeached President still has guts to run.

Clearly, President Arroyo’s endorsement, along with the administration party's well-oiled political machinery reaching down to the grassroots level and the candidates' qualifications, proves the clear edge of the Gibo-Ronnie tandem.