GMA7 grills 8 veep wannabes all in a row
Eduardo âEdu" Manzano is best known as a game-show host and Vilma Santosâ ex-husband. But who could have known that he was a systems engineer for a strategic missile program of the U.S. Air Force way back in 1973? At least that's what he said on Isang Tanong, GMA Network's vice presidential forum. Now voters just need to wait for the proof of that impressive credential when Edu was a teenager. Voters may also be surprised to learn that Jay Sonza of the defunct âMel and Jay" program is also a vice presidential candidate, carrying the flag of the late President Ferdinand Marcosâ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan? And do you know the reason why he has no presidential running mate? All these, and more, were revealed when all eight contenders for the vice presidency converged two Sundays ago in GMA News and Public Affairsâ vice presidential forum, âIsang Tanong." They answered every sort of inquiry, ranging from their motivations and planned courses of action, to the ultimate question of why they settled for running for the countryâs second highest post instead of the presidency itself. The candidates fielded questions from a range of interlocutors, including GMA News pillars, a panel of forum partners, their fellow candidates, and individuals who sent in videos of their questions through GMANews.TV. A last question was asked by the show host, Mr. Imbestigador Mike Enriquez himself. Principles, platforms During the forum, the eight candidates talked about their principles and platforms, which they believe make them the best person to be elected as the second highest public servant. Makati Mayor Jejomar âJojo" Binay, running under PMP-UNO with former President Joseph Estrada, talked at length about political will, and related it to how he has helped transform Makati into whatever it is right now. Ang Kapatiran Partyâs Dominador âJun" Chipeco Jr., running with presidential aspirant John Carlos âJC" de los Reyes, asserted that it is the people, and not the recent surveys where he trails all the other candidates, who will decide the countryâs next set of leaders. Former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Bayani Fernando, the running mate of Sen. Richard Gordon under Bagumbayan, also discussed political will and how it helped him instill discipline among urban citizens in light of the new policies implemented by the agency he previously headed. Pitching her advocacies, Sen. Loren Legarda, who is running with Sen. Manuel âManny" Villar under the Nacionalista Party, talked about her âholistic efforts" to promote environment preservation and climate change adaptation. Actor and TV host Eduardo âEdu" Manzano, running as vice president of Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilberto âGibo" Teodoro, cited his partyâs four pillars of governance to eliminate corruption: participation, accountability, transparency and the rule of law. Sen. Manuel âMar" Roxas II, who teamed up with Sen. Benigno âNoynoy" Aquino III to carry the Liberal Party banner, revealed his economic plans to ensure that the benefits of economic growth trickle down to the poorest Filipinos. Jose âJay" Sonza, whose party KBL does not have a presidential candidate, meanwhile said he is capitalizing on his reputation as a credible media personality to boost his campaign. Finally, Perfecto âJun" Yasay, former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bro. Eddie Villanuevaâs running mate under Bangon Pilipinas, vowed to work for the democratization of ownership and wealth creation to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. Aid to voters Hosted by GMA Newsâ Mike Enriquez, the forum last january 17 was the second in the series that aims to aid the public in choosing the candidates to vote for in the positions up for grabs in the coming May elections. All eight presidential bets similarly attended the first Isang Tanong forum. The GMA News Pillars included veteran journalists and network executives Mel Tiangco, Jessica Soho, Arnold Clavio, Vicky Morales and Howie Severino, who is also the editor in chief of GMANews.TV. The panel of experts and partners in the forum were economics professor Solita âWinnie" Monsod, Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot, Catholic Media Network president Fr. Francis Lucas, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting communication director Ana de Villa Singson, Philippine Center for Investigative Reporting multimedia director Ed Lingao, Institute for Political and Electoral Reform executive director Ramon Casiple, and Norman Esteban of YouthVote Philippines. Sidelights But not all of the Isang Tanong forum was about political programs and strategies. All eight candidates found time to trade, not barbs, but genial remarks about themselves and about each other. YouthVote Philippinesâ Norman Esteban asked 66-year-old lawyer Jun Chipeco how he plans to clinch the youthâs vote given his age. Chipecoâs response: a lot of incumbent government officials are âby far" older than himâeliciting chuckles from the crowd. Edu Manzano took the crowd by surprise when he revealed that he used to be a systems engineer for intercontinental ballistic missiles during his four-year stint in the US military. While the claim has yet to be verified, considering that he was just 17 years old then, columnist Ducky Paredes writes that Manzano indeed served as the Head of Quality Control and Evaluation (QC&E) of the Missile Engineering Group of the United States Air Force in 1973, without citing his source. Former MMDA chair Bayani Fernando and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay called each other âbest friends," to the delight of the audience. The two candidates, who both became mayors of Metro Manila cities as well as heads of MMDA, have been known to be at loggerheads with each other on issues of local governance. Similarly, the crowd let out a tiny gasp of unease when Sen. Manuel Roxas II picked out the number assigned to Sen. Loren Legarda for her to ask him a question. Roxas and Legarda are leading the pack in poll surveys, with the former beating the latter by just a few points. âHi Mar, aking kababata. Ang mama ko at mama niya ay best friends (Hi Mar, my childhood friend. Out mothers are best friends)," Legarda told the audience, eliciting a wide grin from Roxas, and proving to the audience that politicians at heart belong to one big happy family. Jose âJay" Sonza meanwhile admitted that he is the only vice presidential candidates who does not have a presidential running mate. But that's okay, he said, because he is willing to cooperate and share his programs with whoever gets elected as the countryâs next president. And here's a real crowd-pleaser: Bayani Fernando answering the last question, on why he settled only for the countryâs second highest post. âUna ko talagang gustong mag-presidente. Ang problema, nawalan ako ng partido. Naghanap ako ng partido, nakita ko ang Bagumbayan. Alangan namang ako ang magpresidente doon, nanghiram lang ako, sumakay lang ako," Fernando admitted, with a touch of candor that went well with the audience. (At first I really wanted to run for president. The problem is, I found myself without a party. I looked for a party, and I found Bagumbayan. So donât expect me to run as president there. Iâm just borrowing it, just hitching a ride.) For the benefit of those who were unable to catch the television broadcast, GMA Network will replay the Isang Tanong program again this Saturday over dzBB and other regional GMA sister stations. (See: Isang Tanong, the VP Forum - replayed on dzBB this Saturday) Vice presidents have been the butt of jokes for being spare tires. But consider this: the country's last two presidents were both former spare tires. â JV/HS, GMANews.TV