Roco: Let us restore hope, pride in Pinoys

Former senator and presidential aspirant Raul Roco called on Filipinos yesterday to restore hope and pride in themselves as he declared his candidacy in a convention at the Folk Arts Theater in Pasay City.

Mobbed by 10,000 supporters, Roco unveiled his "Agenda of Hope" platform for the May elections, with the key objectives of ending corruption and eradicating poverty that afflicts a third of the population.

"Ano ang inilalaban natin? Karangalan para sa Pilipino (What are we fighting for? The pride of the Filipinos)!" he said.

Roco cited public school teacher Josette Biyo as an example of Filipino excellence. Biyo is the first Filipino and the first Asian teacher to win the Intel Excellence in Teaching Award, an international competition held in the United States since 1997. She defeated 4,000 other teachers from around the world.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in Boston named a minor planet, located between Mars and Jupiter, in her honor.

Roco also noted that Andres Bonifacio, the father of the Philippine Revolution, took on the nom de guerre "May Pag-asa."

"Today’s convention reaffirms that there is hope in the Filipino," he said.

"We cannot eradicate poverty until we … share the wealth of opportunity, of information," Roco told his supporters.

He added that "equal opportunity (should be given to) all and special privileges for none."

Roco, projecting that there will be massive vote-buying in next year’s elections, also told the crowd that Filipinos are wise voters and cannot be bought.

"Ang Pilipino ay marangal at may paninindigan. Ang Pilipino ay hindi nabibili (Filipinos have dignity and stand for their principles. Filipinos cannot be bought)," he said.

Roco vowed to unleash street demonstrations if the presidential election in May next year is marred by cheating.

"If they will cheat, we will charge to Malacañang, on my command," he told his cheering supporters.

Rampant cheating, vote-buying and violence have traditionally marred Philippine elections despite pledges by incumbent administrations to hold free and fair polls.

If chosen to lead one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies, Roco boasted he will outperform Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew and just-retired Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, both highly credited for modernizing their economies and incidentally, both strongmen who ruled for decades.

"Ten years from now, they (Singaporeans and Malaysians) will all say how we wish we had a Raul Roco in Malaysia and Singapore," he told business leaders on the eve of his announcement.

"That is partially aspiration, but I want to be known as the honest president, strong and endeavored to excel for the Filipino and the Philippines," Roco said at the convention.

The affair, however, also appeared to be a reunion of presidential candidates who lost in the 1998 elections, handily won by actor Joseph Estrada.

Two of Roco’s principal supporters are former defense secretary Renato de Villa and former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña, both of whom, like Roco himself, ran and lost in the same presidential race.

The three men have forged a tactical alliance and named their coalition Alyansa ng Bayan.

Formidable Challenge

An independent survey earlier this month showed that Roco will beat President Arroyo and deprive her of full six-year term in next year’s polls.

The survey by pollster Pulse Asia Inc. had Roco winning in three of the most likely scenarios for the presidential race, pitting him against Mrs. Arroyo, popular movie star Fernando Poe Jr. and Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

The portly Roco, who wore his trademark printed floral shirt during the convention, has also led most opinion polls since he abruptly resigned from Mrs. Arroyo’s Cabinet as education secretary early last year.

Aside from Mrs. Arroyo, Roco could face a formidable challenge from Poe, known as the "John Wayne" of the Philippines, who enjoys a mass following particularly among the poor.

"If you have a toothache, do you want a non-dentist to pull your teeth?" Roco asked when reporters warned him of the threat posed by Poe.

Roco also accused Mrs. Arroyo of being weak and bowing too often to sometimes flawed popular opinion.

"She wobbles, she says one thing and does another. So you do not know when to believe her. She waits for what is popular and then she acts. That is not what leadership is all about," he said.

Roco said the Philippine economy had been overwhelmed by rampant corruption, citing a survey by graft watchdog Transparency International.

"The perception of corruption in the Philippines is at an all-time high," he said.

Roco told his supporters that the government needs drastic reforms.

"We are looking for decent leadership. Let us change the government now," he shouted. We will fight influence peddling… We will fight special privileges."

Roco is seen as a clean politician with support mostly from the women and youth, but observers say he lacked the crucial funds and political machinery to pull him through.

Other analysts say Roco is unlikely to confront the influential Catholic Church and take radical steps to control the population explosion in this country of 82 million people, where the annual economic growth of around four percent is dented by a relatively high birth rate of 2.36 percent.

No Running Mate Yet

Roco, however, kept his supporters hanging when he failed to announce his running mate and senatorial ticket during the convention.

Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, chairman of Roco’s party Aksyon Demokratiko, said they could not yet announce their vice presidential candidate because the members of the nomination committee are still making their selection.

"Aside from that, it’s also for tactical reasons. We want to create more energy. We want it to come as a suspense. We’ll make the announcement when the right time comes," he said.

The nomination committee is composed of representatives from Aksyon, De Villa’s Reporma party and Osmeña’s Probinsya Muna Development Initiative (Promdi) party.

The three parties have bonded together to form the "Alliance of Hope."

Roco said they will name their line-up in time for the deadline of the filing of candidacies on Dec. 15.

"We’ll do it at the right time. But the people we have with us now are all good candidates," he said.

Roco said that for the alliance’s vice presidential candidate, they are choosing from among Senate President Franklin Drilon, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and Senators Manuel Villar, Noli de Castro and Loren Legarda.

It will be recalled that in 1998, Roco’s running mate was women’s rights advocate Irene Santiago, who is from Davao.

During the convention, 19 people were nominated for the senatorial ticket: De Villa, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, former transportation and communications secretaries Josie Lichauco and Oscar Orbos, former Pasay congresswoman Lorna Verano-Yap, former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor, police Chief Superintendent Romeo Maganto, former assemblyman Emil Ong, former solicitor general Frank Chavez, bowling champion Bong Coo, retired Gen. Rodolfo Gutang, congressmen Dimaporo Ramos (Lanao del Sur), Arden Anni (Sulu), Oscar Moreno (Misamis Oriental), economist Winnie Monsod, broadcasters Pia Cayetano, Jay Sonza and Melanio "Batas" Mauricio, and Christy Ramos, daughter of former President Fidel Ramos.

Ramos, who attended the convention, admitted that she expected her decision to join Roco’s camp to stir controversy because her father is the chairman emeritus of the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

"I am supporting Roco. I know this is going to be controversial. My father and I have different opinions on whom to support. But he said I am old enough to decide for myself and he knows I have a mind of my own," she said.

Ramos said she is not impressed with the quality of leadership displayed by Mrs. Arroyo, the candidate being endorsed by her father.

The Arroyo administration "has not really solved any of the problems we hope to solve, namely the peace and order situation, general economic performance and politicization. These are the problems we want solved," she said.

Ramos said she believes Roco will be able to address such problems.

"I am really concerned about the future of our country right now, especially because I have three children. They are growing up now and I want to give them a better future. It’s really public service. It’s not really the politics of it," she said.

Moreno, for his part, maintained that he decided to join Roco "to break away from the vicious cycle of traditional politics" in the Arroyo administration.

Chavez echoed Moreno’s statement, saying he chose Roco because he "offers himself as the best alternative."

"I believe in his program of government and more so because we share a common goal, which is zero tolerance for corruption. I can offer a lot of visions for our country. I offer equality and justice for all," he said.

Chavez, who is now a member of Reporma, first ran for senator in 1992 under Lakas but lost because there was another senatorial candidate with the surname Chavez.

"I think Lakas has lost its original vision of creating a party that is non-traditional. It has been swallowed by a system of concessions, compromises and really, of corruption, and I cannot identify myself with that group anymore," he said.

De Villa said their best weapon for the upcoming polls is the people who want change in the government.

"Many Filipinos are looking for a better tomorrow. They want a leadership that can bring about change and they know we can give them that," he said. — With AFP, Reuters