“Sino’ng presidente mo?”

It’s an oft-repeated question. Every time I come by friends and acquaintances, they would always ask me that. And it’s not like they’re asking because they really want to know who my choice is, but you could sense that it is because they still haven’t decided who theirs will be, and they’re looking for some kind of guidance. Admittedly, it is a difficult choice to make.

Before all those five bigger names – Binay, Defensor, Duterte, Poe and Roxas – came about, many were actually hoping someone with a spotless record and who is a proven performer would run for president in 2016, someone who could easily stand above the rest and win easily in the polls, granting that the elections in May would be clean and voters would be honest.

But here we are now. Our choices are limited to a few people whose negative vibes and unsavory characteristics seem to eclipse their good qualifications.

Here’s the second top official of the land who since Day 1 of his vice presidency has been quietly going around the country as part of a strategy to get to the top this year. He was a brilliant reform advocate back in Marcos’ time. Now, he is buried neck-deep in personal and family enrichment complaints. The charges are so serious that winning the elections does not even seem to be his way out; if he does win, the apprehension is that he’d be too busy defending himself and his family against the charges – or running after those who tried to ruin his and his family’s name – that he’d have little time to run the country.

Then there’s this fiery lady lawyer and former judge who’s had an illustrious and long career both in the judiciary and in the legislature. Few could ever equal her brilliant record as a lawmaker and legal luminary, and even fewer could survive her incisively piercing tirades. Now, like the first time, she’s running again with not much of a machinery and could be banking on the youth vote or the intellectual vote, which time and again have not proven to be the decisive points in any election. Besides that, she does not seem to be in the best of health. Bongbong Marcos’ youth and energy could help her proceed to the finish line. But beyond that, would she still be okay?

The Davao City mayor, reluctant at the start, now sounds like he’s determined to pursue the race. So far, his abrasiveness has diminished and he doesn’t speak so much now about the people he had killed or did kill himself – which by the way he hasn’t been very specific about, so no one has actually come out to charge him formally in court. He has a sharp tongue, that’s true, and that could be negative to some people, especially in places where the elderly are sensitive about foul language and all. The other fear is that he has dictatorial tendencies. So here’s a candidate who’s going to face a lot of opposition from human rights groups and moralists and freedom advocates, now and if he wins.

Then there’s the young senator who hasn’t been three years in her first elected position and is now aiming for the top. Foreign-educated, she’s quite a good speaker, and is quite popular with a myriad of different advocacy groups. She talks about pursuing what her adoptive father started, which was what? The movies, mostly. Her most pressing problem is that she could actually be disqualified in the run up to the election. In any case, if things go wrong for her, she’s still has a senate seat to come back to.

And now, the man who’s been in various elective and appointive positions in government – congressman, senator, cabinet member at three departments. A good education, great family background, and good looks, too. He performed quite impressively as a cabinet member, except perhaps in the last post. His main problem at this time could be that he is not very likable – which again, in the Philippine setting, means a lot. The other factor is that he comes from the ilk where PNoy comes from – people born with a silver spoon in their mouths. It’s not a disqualification at all. But when people born rich find it difficult to get down to earth and commiserate genuinely with the poor, they’re not going to get the number of votes they need to win. And his being PNoy’s anointed gives you the feeling he’s going to be busy being PNoy’s lifeguard after June 30, if he wins.

None of these things may be the sole deciding factor at all when we vote for president. They do influence some, but it still your own honest, conscience-driven vote that will make the difference. Make it right this time.

Thanks to the members of Catanduanes College High School Class 1969 for the privilege to be with them in a class reunion the other weekend. Nice to see them party and reminisce about those old times at CC. And thanks especially to the core group who does the planning and the notifying and all the hard work so that everybody gets to enjoy the day – no, it was two days of fun – without so much hassle. Class Valedictorian Atty. Jorge Sarmiento just made it in time from the airport, before the homecoming mass ended and the picture-taking started at Virac Cathedral. He was with his classmates all throughout. I hear the next big class homecoming will be in 2019, so spread the word.