Presidentiables

This early, you can already spot the "Presidential" hopefuls in the 2010 elections. Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Noli de Castro, Mar Roxas and--God forbid! Erap again.

Villar and de Castro are both playing the OFW card. Mar Roxas is suddenly making populist statements about scrapping the EVAT for petroleum products. Legarda has her TV ads conveying feel-good platitudes.

I think subsequent surveys will support my pedestrian observation.

Who's most likely to make it? Too early to say, but I believe the odds are against Legarda. This time, mass voters may feel they have had enough of a woman President. The current one, Gloria is highly unpopular due to massive corruption allegations and is widely perceived to have cheated during the last elections. Gloria seems to have set a bad precedent.

de Castro loves to play it "safe" when confronted with issues, and his statements do not really have much substance.

Roxas is highly articulate and knowledgeable, but he can turn out to be another Gloria: he may succumb to dirty politics while hiding under the veneer of "economic growth" rhetoric.

Villar is like Angara: he knows his way around the back-stabbing world of politics and knows when and how to use the media for his advantage. I like his decisiveness and his views are clear and direct to the point.

I don't think that Erap will run again, however. He seems tired of politics. I don't think he is keen on a political revenge.

But then again, everything could change in a snap. Philippine politics can be unpredictable.