What do you think of Sara-Chiz for 2028?

The latest political realignment in the country is indicating that the talks about VP Sara Duterte's campaign running for president in 2028 has found a teammate in Senate President Chiz Escudero. They might be facing the tandem of Leni or Risa for president and Bam as vice president, and another team of Tulfo-Bong Go or Bong Go-Tulfo. I also hear that Inday Sara is strongly considering a Sara-Isko Moreno tandem.

Even if I am not pro-Duterte or pro-Marcos, I am a realist. Based on the results of the last elections, I believe that there are more Filipino voters today who are convinced that Sara Duterte and her allies have the better preference to govern the nation. No matter what kind of charges are being thrown to the side of the vice president, no matter what destructive rumors are being peddled in social media, Inday Sara remains the favorite over BBM. The vice president has always gotten a higher poll rating compared to the president.

If and when a Duterte-Escudero presidential ticket is presented to the voters in 2028, they have a huge advantage over their opponents especially in Mindanao, many of the Visayan provinces, and also in the Bicol political corridor. The Dutertes are still strong in Mindanao although many congressmen in the five Davaos have already shifted their loyalty to Speaker Martin Romualdez perhaps for selfish reasons, e.g. to assure their respective pork barrel allocations.

It has been proven in the last elections that VP Sara is the presidential candidate to beat in 2028. Whoever will run against her will need a very strong combination of the four Ms: Money, Machine, Message, and the Man (or woman) himself or herself. If it's true that a seriously-viable presidential candidate needs at least ?1 billion for every huge province like Cebu, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Iloilo, and Negros. He or she must have at least ?750 million for big provinces like Leyte, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Camarines Norte. And at least half a billion for small provinces like Masbate, Siquijor, Southern Leyte, and Catanduanes.

But I think that Chiz is a weaker candidate compared to Isko especially among the masses, the farmers, fisherfolks, and minimum wage-earners. The ordinary folks can identify well with Yorme Isko because of his poor childhood, rapport with the urban poor sector, his hands-on approach to problems of the urban settlers, and his abiding concern for the victims of fire, flood, and other calamities. Chiz is very hard to sell to the hoi polloi. He is identified with the elite and the higher echelon in the social and economic strata. Inday Sara will get better chances with Isko compared to Chiz.

I do not know about you. As for me and for my house, we are looking for a third force. We are not sold to the Dutertes or to the Marcoses. We look forward to a Risa-Bam or Leni-Bam third force. And we do not consider Tulfo to be a genuine pro-people presidential candidate. We do not like his style of harassing people just to show off to others. That is not the mark of a good leader.