EX SOLON TO AQUINO: Presidency is not an heirloom

By Maila Ager, Philip Tubeza
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:13:00 01/10/2010



Filed Under: Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010


Original Story: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100110-246549/Presidency-is-not-an-heirloom


MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Don’t treat the presidency as “something of a birthright” or an heirloom, a senatorial candidate on Sunday told Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Former congressman Gilbert Remulla, who is running under Senator Manny Villar’s ticket this year said. Remulla was reacting to Aquino’s remark that there were surveys that can be bought in Quiapo when asked about the December 27-28 survey by the Social Weather Station, showing a 2-percent drop from his previous rating of 46 percent.

The survey was commissioned by Villar’s known ally, House minority leader Ronaldo Zamora.

“Noynoy’s refusal to accept the results of a scientific survey by a reputable polling firm, which showed his once-formidable lead over his closest rival trimmed to near single digits, reveals a mindset which treats the presidency as something of a birthright,” Remulla said in a statement.

“He probably thinks that he has a mandate from heaven to rule that he finds it hard to accept the fact that a former fish vendor from Tondo is credibly challenging him,” he said, referring to Villar, who came second in the survey with 33 percent or just an 11-point difference from Aquino’s 44 percent.

“When you treat the presidency as a family heirloom that you can inherit on a silver platter then you get unnerved when you read the newsflash that your being president is far from being a done deal,” Remulla said.

Remulla said he was surprised when Noynoy took a swipe at SWS, “when he had met with glee the previous survey results of the same polling firm that showed him enjoying a commanding lead over his competitors.”

“Now that the same firm, using the same methodology, has come up with a survey that showed that his big lead has evaporated, he begins to question its credibility,” he said, "It shows immaturity at the very least.”

In its survey released Friday, SWS said Aquino garnered 44 percent, down from 46 percent in the December 5-10 national survey.

Villar was in second place, with 33 percent, up from 27 percent in the previous December 5-10 survey. The polling firm said the latest survey had 2,100 respondents across the country.

However, Aquino campaign spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it was Villar’s camp that was getting worried because Aquino’s numbers were not going down “despite their black propaganda.”

“Contrary to their media releases, the Villar camp is quite concerned that despite their intensive black propaganda campaign against Noynoy and their unprecedented spending on TV and radio ads, which they timed with their commissioned SWS survey, they have not made a dent on Noynoy’s core vote of 45 percent,” Lacierda said.

“What adds to their insecurity is the fact that in the three week period preceding the SWS survey, Noynoy did not come out with a single ad, except for a few Christmas ads, and their knowledge that their gains are mainly soft votes,” he said.

Lacierda said the Villar camp was “anxiously awaiting” the impact of Aquino’s ads “that will roll out next week.”


Original Story: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100110-246549/Presidency-is-not-an-heirloom