Senate performance, FPJ magic propping up Grace Poe —analysts

Sen. Grace Poe's performance in the Senate and the opposition taking issue with her being a foundling helped the first-termer take the lead in presidential preference surveys, political analysts said on Friday.

Prof. Bobby Tuazon, director for policy studies of the Center for People Empowerment and Governance (CenPEG), said her handling of the Senate hearings on the Mamasapano incident helped Poe improve her standing with the public.

"What strikes me is, for the first time, I think a relative newcomer in national politics has captured the leading trend sa voter preference. I refer, of course, to Sen. Grace Poe," Tuazon said.

Tuazon said he believes the trend favoring Poe will continue until October.

CenPEG chairman Dr. Temario Rivera cited Poe's "clean" image and her relationship with the late Kind of Philippine Movies, Fernando Poe Jr. or FPJ.

FPJ ran for the presidency in 2004 but then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was declared the winner. He filed an electoral protest but died later that year.

Rivera doesn't believe President Benigno Aquino III's endorsement will change the current standings unless the President mobilizes resources to prop up his chosen candidate.

"Hindi ganoon kabigat ang endorsement ng any President kasi iyong political culture natin is very personalistic and indvidualistic," Rivera said.

Both Rivera and Tuazon believe that if Aquino endorses Poe, the Liberal Party will find itself divided.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Aquino's running mate in 2010, is the LP's presumptive standard-bearer.

Both analysts also said that Aquino's endorsement of Poe may also lead to a compromise that would have Roxas run instead for the Senate and later on go for the Senate Presidency. -NB, GMA News