What Mar lacks: Analysts explain Roxas' low numbers

Magno Ardenia, ABS-CBN News

Posted at 25 Apr 2016 06:55 PM

MANILA - A political analyst believes Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas did well in all three presidential debates. Question is - will this good performance translate into votes?

Looking at Roxas' numbers in the recent surveys, the answer is leaning towards no.

Roxas placed fourth in the April 12-17 Pulse Asia Survey commissioned by ABS-CBN, while in the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Station survey, the former interior and local government secretary is in third spot.

READ: Duterte boosts lead in new ABS-CBN survey

Professor Edna Co, former dean of the National College of Public Administration and Governance at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said while Roxas does very well in explaining his platforms and programs, he also lacks to ability to show empathy to the very people he will serve.

"I think overall, he is the overall governance person who will look at things at the policy level, the more technical part of it, but if you have a format such as last night, where individuals coming representing sectors, there is a new mode of speaking to them, and addressing it, not in a generic sense maybe, the person asking requires some level of unity, identifying, emphasizing. I think the word is empathy, empathizing with the person. I think that was a bit lacking in how Secretary Roxas did it,” Co told ANC Monday.

De La Salle Professor Julio Teehankee, meanwhile, said the image of Roxas as the "decent" candidate may not be helping him win votes since it could be seen as elitist.

READ: Did Mar Roxas quote Batman right?

“The assumption is the poor who are supporting Rodrigo Duterte, or Jejomar Binay or Grace Poe are not decent. It's a loaded concept,” he said.

“To speak of being decent at this time when the poor are suffering is really off.”

Teehankee also said being an administration bet is making it tougher for Roxas to connect with people.

"The President himself is popular but his government is not, and those who embody his government are, by association, also unpopular with the electorate. It's unfortunate that Secretary Roxas is the face of this administration in this election so he is not really connecting,” he said.

Co said Roxas is facing an electorate disappointed with the administration for not meeting their expectations.

“I think the enemy of the administration candidate is not so much the ability to deliver per se because as Secretary Roxas was saying, 'This is what we did and I can prove you, I have evidence to say that.' However, the greatest enemy is the expectation of people. Like: 'Alright, you're expected to deliver 90 percent but come on, I saw only 50 percent or 40 percent.' And that’s where the gap and the failure comes in," she said.

Teehankee believes today's electorate is not demanding continuity, which Roxas has been emphasizing in his campaign, but change.

On the other hand, Roxas' running-mate, Congresswoman Leni Robredo, seems to be gaining momentum by mixing the message of continuity with the need for change.

Robredo is statistically tied with Sen. Bongbong Marcos at the top of the vice-presidential race, according to the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Station survey.

READ: SWS: Duterte widens lead; Robredo, Marcos in a tie

“I think the mood of the electorate now is not continuity, it’s change. So, even for Leni Robredo, she has taken the position of continuity with change, so it’s not just pure continuity,” he said.