The Philippine Online Chronicles

The office of the vice president is a key position in the government and a good training ground for the highest office, if not a prelude to it. Several alliance shifts later and after turning her back on her aspirations for the presidency, Loren Legarda has recently announced her second bid as vice president to still an undisclosed president candidate. But does she have what it takes to be vice president or will she become a political lame duck?

It would seem that the personal credentials and the track record of Legarda as senator indicate otherwise.  She completed her primary and secondary schooling at the Assumption College with honors, graduated cum laude in broadcast communication from the University of the Philippines, and topped her class at the National Defense College of the Philippines. She is a reserve officer (with the rank of lieutenant colonel).

Her career as a journalist flourished at ABS-CBN, arguably the top local TV network. Her many programs including the highly acclaimed The Inside Story are used as resource materials and she has at least 30 industry awards. Her popularity as a broadcast journalist paved the way for Legarda to become the first woman to top the Senatorial race twice. She is the first woman elected majority leader by her peers. This Bai’ a Labi (Princess), and United Nations Environment Programme awardee authored or endorsed, many bills consistent with her advocacy on the youth, anti-drug drive, children and women’s rights, and the environment. And who could forget her as a teary senator-judge during the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada at the refusal to open the so-called second envelope which sparked the EDSA 2 which ousted Estrada?

On the down side, she is no charmed princess. The 2004 election fraud is her biggest controversy. Legarda lost the vice-presidential race to fellow ABS-CBN news anchor and colleague Noli De Castro by a mere 800,000 votes. She was accused of cheating by De Castro, on top of prior allegations that she hogged the credit in the release of a fellow broadcast journalist Arlyn dela Cruz from her abductors in Jolo. De Castro is obviously disgruntled by this as he had been trying to facilitate that  release when Legarda secured release by paying ransom to dela Cruz’s kidnappers. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) criticized her for crossing the line between media and politics, claiming it is unethical for Legarda to continue being a broadcast journalist because of conflict of interest. A suit for violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees which prohibits certain public officials to engage in the private practice of their professions was filed against her. Like many politicians, Legarda can be accused of being a political butterfly, flitting from one party to the other, willing participant in political turn-coatism instead of standing by one’s principles, when the opportunity for political advancement and convenience presents itself.

But will she duplicate her poll success, or will it be a narrow miss once again to another Noli de Castro, or perhaps de Castro again? Only we voters can decide.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites