Reelectionist Senator Serge Osmeña raised the possibility on Monday that the country might be the first in the world to have two women leaders.
Osmeña was referring to Senator Grace Poe, who topped the latest Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) presidential survey, and Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo, who closed in on her top rivals in the vice-presidential race based on the same survey.
Poe is an independent presidential candidate while Robredo is running mate of Liberal Party standard-bearer former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.
“Getting better kasi ngayon nakikita ko sya na (It’s getting better now, I can see) she’s addressing groups alone,” Osmeña said in an interview at the Senate when sought to react to the latest SWS survey.
“Normally pag nakabitbit ka sa presidential candidates, matatakpan talaga di ba? Lahat ng attention grupo ng crowd, ng mga listeners doon po sa presidential candidate hindi po sa vice president (Normally if you tag along with presidential candidates, you will be overshadowed, right? All the attentions, groups of crowd and listeners will go to the presidential candidate, not to the vice [presidential candidate]).”
“Ngayon na nakikita ko na somosolo na sya (Now I can see that she’s addressing groups alone). She’s going to be all right,” said Osmeña, who admitted helping Robredo in the campaign.
Osmeña earlier said that Robredo could overtake her rivals if she would be given a free hand to develop her own message and run her own campaign.
The SWS survey conducted from March 4 to 7 showed Poe topping the presidential race with 27 percent, followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay with 24 percent, Roxas with 22 percent, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 21 percent and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago with four percent.
In the vice-presidential race, Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero remained the top choice with 28 percent, followed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with 26 percent, Robredo with 24 percent, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with 11 percent, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV with six percent and Senator Gregorio Honasan with five percent.
Osmeña said Robredo’s showing in the latest survey was “very convincing.”
“We might be the first country of the world headed by two women,” said.
“Kaya when they always ask me, ‘Tutulong ka ba sa gender equality?’ Sabi ko, ‘lugi dito yung mga lalaki kasi alam natin it’s the women that run the show.’ Sa bahay ko lang asawa ko ang boss e…(That’s why when they always ask me, ‘Will you help in gender equality?’ I say, ‘The men here are on the losing side because we know it’s the women that run the show. In our house alone, my wife is the boss),” he added in jest.
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