On May 10, the Filipinos will go to the polls to elect a new president, vice president a new set of senators and congressmen as well as other officials in the local levels. Although this is a general election, the focus is on the presidential polls as Filipinos desperately hope to find a leader to take them out of the social and political malaise that has bedeviled the country over the past several years. Based on the recent public pulse surveys, the choice seems to be narrowing between Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, the son of the late democracy icon Corazon Aquino, and property billionaire Manuel Villar, with former president Joseph Estrada and administration bet GilbertoTeodoro trailing far behind them. The four others, including an evangelist, are far, far behind. It has been observed sadly among Filipinos that the choice is no longer for the best candidate but for the lesser evil. This observation grows out of the public perception that the past two leaders - Estrada, who was convicted of plunder by a graft court, and current President Gloria Arroyo – have used their office to enrich themselves. Although Estrada still has a sway among the slum dwellers, he has lost wider support apparently after his conviction of graft. Unfortunately, Teodoro has inherited Arroyo's unpopularity. Among the four candidates, Aquino is perceived to be as clean as his mother, but his lack of experience in public service and his widely perceived weak leadership are working against him, Villar, though tainted with corruption scandal as well, is seen as a lesser evil and has capitalized on his rugs-to-riches life story to stir the imagination of many voters as the man who could make their lives much better. Undoubtedly, corruption is the central issue in the coming elections, particularly in the presidential race. All of the presidential candidates are harping on this issue. Ironically, despite his conviction, even Estrada promises to get rid of graft if he is reinstated back in office. With this in mind, it is prudent for the electorate to not stray away from this issue as corruption has been the major reason why the lives of the country's 90 million population keep on deteriorating day by day. __
