PHILIPPINES: EIGHTY THREE CANDIDATES BEGIN CAMPAIGNING FOR THE PHILIPPINE PRESIDENCY.

Record ID: 347480

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: EIGHTY THREE CANDIDATES BEGIN CAMPAIGNING FOR THE PHILIPPINE PRESIDENCY.
  • Date: 10th February 1998
  • Summary: LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES (FEBRUARY 10, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: WIDESHOT OF JOSEPH "ERAP" ESTRADA-EDGARDO ANGARA MOTORCADE ENTERING TOWN 0.06 2. MCU/ZOOM/GV: ESTRADA AND ANGARA WAVING AND THROWING CANDIES TO THE CROWD 0.28 3. MV: SUPPORTERS WAVING POSTERS OF ESTRADA 0.33 4. GV/SV: MOTORCADE/ SUPPORTERS TRYING TO TOUCH ESTRADA (2 SHOTS) 0.43 5. GV/MV: MOTORCADE/ SUPPORTERS WAVING (2 SHOTS) 1.07 MANILA, PHILIPPINES (FEBRUARY 10, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 6. GV/CU: WIDESHOT OF STAGE AND PORTRAITS OF JOSE DE VENECIA AND RUNNING MATE GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO (2 SHOTS) 1.16 7. MV/GV/CU: JOSE DE VENECIA AND GLORIA MACAPAGAL ON STAGE/ CHEERING CROWDS (4 SHOTS) 1.37 8. GV/MV: PRESIDENT FIDEL RAMOS ON STAGE/ MEDIA/ HANDING DE VENECIA A COMB (3 SHOTS) 2.00 9. GV: ARROYO APPROACHES RAMOS AND DE VENECIA (3 SHOTS) 2.25 10. GV/PAN: WIDESHOT OF CROWD 2.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th February 1998 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LAGUNA/MANILA, PHILIPPINES
  • City:
  • Country: Phillippines
  • Reuters ID: LVA41I51QH2XRQLWVIS0LDD0WVQD
  • Story Text: Eighty three candidates have begun to campaign for the Philippine presidency.

    Once again, Imelda Marcos -- the woman with 2,000 pairs of shoes -- will sing.Others will dance, money will flow and some fanatics will fire guns.

    In a country where the road to political victory is often littered with corpses, there likely will be several dead by May 11 when the vote is held.

    "What we have here is a ship of fools," political analyst Teodoro Benigno told Reuters as the deadline for the filing candidacies for president expired at midnight on Monday.

    One who wants to save the nation is a jobless man who said he will base his actions as president on the horoscope.

    Another candidate promised to abolish all income and corporate taxes, and a third vows to rid the government of "satanic agents." Besides the oddballs there are eight major candidates, led by vice president and former movie star Joseph "Erap" Estrada and Lower House Speaker Jose de Venecia, standard bearer of President Fidel Ramos' ruling Lakas party.

    The dark horses are former defence secretary Renato de Villa and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, whose brass-knuckled methods in dealing with criminals has earned him the label "Dirty Harry" after the Hollywood cinema hero played by Clint Eastwood.

    Marcos, struggling to stay out of prison after the Supreme Court recently confirmed a 1993 court verdict sentencing her to 12 years in jail for corruption, is running for a second time.

    The widow of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos was fifth in the seven-way 1992 presidential race won by Ramos, who is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election.

    The other serious contenders include a businessman and two senators, one of whom is a pugnacious ex-judge, Miriam Santiago, who challenged President Ramos to a fist-fight after narrowly losing to him in the 1992 contest.

    Businessmen say the election will determine who will lead the country out of its economic slump resulting from the regional financial turmoil.

    "Under these conditions, you need a very strong and steady leader.One of the first acts of this leader may be to call for sacrifices from the people," said executive director Guillermo Luz of the elite Makati Business Club.

    "We're stuck with these characters and it's going to be a tough call," Luz said.

    What is even sadder, businessmen said, is that instead of focusing on their economic programme, candidates spend more time ripping each other's character to shreds.

    The chief target of the mud-slinging has been Estrada, who leads by a mile in opinion polls and who has admitted having been romantically involved with women other than his wife.

    A college drop-out, Estrada also makes business nervous because of his supposed lack of understanding of economic issues.But he commands powerful support from the masses.

    One rival titillated the nation last week by publicly showing video footage from a hidden camera showing Estrada gambling in a casino with an alleged drug lord.Estrada denies he is a habitual gambler and says the video was intended to destroy him politically.

    "What we are seeing now is the personalism of Philippine politics at its worst," political analyst Alex Magno said, lamenting the lack of intelligent debate in the campaign.

    Another worry is violence, which analysts say is inevitable as the campaign heats up in a country where elections are often fought with tribal fierceness.

    The 1995 congressional election saw 53 people killed and the 1992 presidential election another 60.Hundreds died in local and congressional elections in 1988 and when housewife Corazon Aquino challenged Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 polls.

    Also at stake are half of the 24 Senate seats, all 200 House of Representatives seats plus the posts of provincial governors, town mayors and local councillors: a total of more than 17,000 positions.

    Analysts do not see the present campaign to be any different from previous ones where candidates danced, sang and used sexy movie stars and comedians to attract crowds.

    They estimate each presidential candidate may have to spend a minimum of five billion pesos ($125 million) to win.

    "So far, what the nation has gotten from the candidates is mostly entertainment," the Philippine Star said in an editorial on Tuesday.

    "We need to elect a good leader, not an entertainer," the Philippine Daily Inquirer said.


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