6 presidential bets face of in Cebu

CEBU hosted a historic presidential forum on Friday as six presidential candidates battled for the 2 million votes of what is considered as the strongest and more discriminating voting bloc in the country.




A jam-packed plenary hall of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) showed a cross-section of the Cebu community coming together for the forum organized by the Cebu business community.



The social elites, businessmen, students and the marginalized sat in one venue for more than three hours to listen to the candidates, who entered the hall alphabetically like rock stars—Benigno Aquino III, Joseph Estrada, Richard Gordon, Gilbert Teodoro, Eddie Villanueva and Manuel Villar Jr.



There were no fireworks and the answers to questions were more specific and detailed. In the end, some candidates were able to sway some of Cebu’s more influential people, like socialite Amparito Lhuillier, who admitted coming to the forum not knowing who to vote for.



“The intelligence of one of [the] candidates really showed and he was very good,” Lhuillier told the BusinessMirror of her newfound bet. “I think we will have a dynamic presidency under him.”



For some like Txabi Aboitiz, the chief executive of the real-estate arm of the Aboitiz family empire, his list has narrowed down but said there is more studying to do before he makes his final bet.



“We received very good information about their platforms. These are very trying times and anyone who will become President will be facing a very big challenge ahead of him,” Aboitiz said.



There were also some who had reaffirmed their decision to vote for their candidate, like

entrepreneur Welsey Chiongbian.



“My candidate before the forum and my candidate after the forum is still the same. He managed to keep my vote,” he said.



But there were also discerning attendees, like former Cebu Chamber of Commerce president Robert Go, who said public forums only show one aspect of a candidate and the public must be aware of that.



“Public forums always go to the best speaker. But [being] the best speaker does not necessarily mean [being] the best candidate,” Go said. “We must still look at their track record and personal history. For me, incorruptibility is still the No. 1 criteria.”



It was a fiesta atmosphere in Cebu on Thursday. The six presidential candidates arrived separately and held individual sorties in the city and the province. A little after 3 p.m. the candidates started arriving at CICC. All of them were ready in their separate holding rooms some 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the forum.



The plenary hall was filled with some 2,000 people mostly invited by organizers Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Cebu Business Club. Each candidate was given 30 tickets and so they brought their entourage—running mates, senatorial candidates and campaign managers, even their own camera crew.



Down at the exhibition hall, the rabid, color-coded supporters had their place. Some 200 seats were allocated per candidate and their supporters who could watch the proceedings on widescreens. Police were posted in the middle of the rows to prevent any eventuality.



If there was a winner in the forum, former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro must have felt it. He was the last to leave the plenary hall as he was mobbed by supporters. He also topped a mock poll organized by the Cebu campus of the Ateneo de Manila University business school and gamely posed beside the tally sheet.



Teodoro got 456 votes followed by Benigno Aquino III (296), Manuel Villar Jr. (88), Richard Gordon (45), Eddie Villanueva (29) and Joseph Estrada (19). Twenty-five ballots were invalid.



Gordon Alan Joseph, president of the Cebu Business Club, said there is a “growing Gibo block in Cebu,” but said it is still anybody’s game.



“For the first time in a long while, we actually have very good options,” Joseph said. “That is a very good problem for us voters.”



Teodoro is being endorsed by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who attended the forum. The ruling party in vote-rich Cebu City, led by Mayor Tomas Osmeña, is endorsing Benigno Aquino III.



Cebu was known to be a united solid voting block. It voted solidly behind its own son Lito Osmeña in the 1998 elections despite Estrada already certain of winning even before the polls opened. It also gave President Arroyo a 1-million majority in 2004, and was credited for her victory over closest rival Fernando Poe Jr.



That may not happen this year as its two biggest leaders are going their separate ways. The twist in the story is Garcia is being challenged by an Osmeña ally, Hilario Davide III, the son of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. Osmeña, on the other hand, has his term expiring and is just running for Congress in one of the two districts in the city.



His anointed successor, current Vice Mayor Michael Rama, will be facing a tough challenge from former mayor Alvin Garcia, a cousin of the governor.



The presidential candidates entered the hall alphabetically and tried to hit it up with the warm crowd by answering the question why Cebuanos should vote for them.



Aquino, who spoke first, banked on his relationship with Cebu dating back to his mother, who sought refuge in the city in the buildup to the People Power Revolution. He highlighted the need to support local governments and their programs so they can stand on their feet, as well as the strengthening of industries where the Philippines has an advantage, like tourism and information and communications technology.



“If you will ask people who know me, and based on my track record, I am a person who will do what he says he will do,” Aquino said.



Former President Joseph Estrada reiterated his peace-and-order program as well as the upliftment of the agricultural sector. He said he is the only one among the candidates who can stop crime, terrorism and rebellion in Mindanao—the biggest hindrance to true progress.



“When it comes to public service, nobody can stop me,” he said.



Gordon provided a little firework in the forum. He urged the electorate not to vote for family names and the biggest spender in the political-ad war. He also vowed not to pardon anyone convicted of corruption. He was seated beside Estrada, who just smiled. He boasted of his track record and his support for local autonomy, and his desire to invite foreign investments into the country.



Teodoro said he was the only one with the desire for “genuine political reconciliation.” He also encouraged business to take advantage of international trade agreements. He believed that by empowering industries, jobs will be created and poverty will be eradicated.



Eddie Villanueva espoused a presidency with a high moral ground. He will also prioritize agriculture and cooperatives.



“I am the only candidate who is not beholden to any political, economic and foreign power,” he said.



Villar said the next president should have the competence and the experience to jump into the job on day one. He also promised safety nets for the poorest 25 percent of the country, as well as a bidding process that is open to the public, as his first step to prevent corruption.