LESS than a day after the Supreme Court reversed the disqualification ruling of the Commission on Elections against her, presidential frontrunner Sen. Grace Poe yesterday said “many” local politicians and leaders have started calling her up to express their intention to join her team Partido Galing at Puso.
She declined to give names. She just said “many” politicians will jump ship in the coming days.
“Hindi naman namin sinasabing napakarami o ano, basta marami,” she said in Candelaria, Quezon where her team is campaigning.
She also said the supporters told her they would come out after the disqualification case against her is resolved. “So tingnan na lang natin.”
Administration presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II dared allies who are planning to defect to the Poe camp to do it now.
“We are focused on presenting the platform to the people but if there are allies who want to leave, thank you very much. It would be better to do it openly instead of keeping it secret only to stab me in the back in the end,” Roxas told reporters while campaigning in Batangas City.
Roxas said he is prepared for any eventuality and his only appeal is for his allies to be honest.
“What will be, will be. It would better if those who are planning to leave to come out now,” he said.
Roxas also said the administration slate has no plan of changing its campaign thrust just because the SC upheld Poe’s candidacy.
Some administration allies are expected to desert the ruling Liberal Party after the Supreme Court decision Tuesday upholding the legality of Poe’s presidential bid.
The cracks in the LP-led administration coalition became apparent last year after Poe emerged at the top of the surveys on presidential preferences.
For one, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., LP vice president, has admitted that his “heart” is closer to Poe even if he is expected to stick it out with Roxas.
Poe continued to be the top choice of voters. In a survey conducted by Pulse Asia from February 16 to 27, Poe led candidates with 26 percent followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay (24 percent), Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (22 percent), Roxas (19 percent), and Sen. Miriam Santiago (3 percent).
The survey was commissioned by ABS-CBN network.
In the vice presidential race, Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Francis Escudero (Poe’s running mate) are the top choice of voters with 2 percent each, followed by Roxas’ running mate Rep. Leni Robredo (18 percent), and Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (13 percent), Gregorio Honasan (6 percent), and Antonio Trillanes IV (5 percent).(JP Lopez, Malaya)
