Philippine survey shows Aquino rival catching up

			Philippine, Aquino, elections, Manny Villa, News, Asia

Lavish campaign spending has allowed the Philippines' wealthiest politician to close in on the son of democracy icon Corazon Aquino in the latest opinion polls ahead of May presidential elections, analysts said.

Sen. Manny Villar's aggressive media campaign mainly accounts for his eight-point gain from December to January in one poll, leaving him only seven points behind front-runner Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in the survey, said public administration professor Prospero de Vera.

The respected Social Weather Stations' January survey has Aquino as the top choice of 42 percent of respondents, down from 46 percent in early December. Villar, who made his fortune in real estate, was up to 35 percent from 27 percent.

The survey, commissioned and published Monday by The BusinessWorld daily, interviewed 2,100 adult respondents nationwide and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

The presidential race is shaping up as a two-pronged battle between Aquino and Villar, both senators from sharply different backgrounds but with a similar message — uplifting the lives of a third of the population who live in abject poverty and cracking down on widespread corruption and political violence.

Aquino, 50, has anchored his campaign on running a clean government and restoring the credibility of the judiciary and Congress, which he says has been seriously eroded during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's nine years of tumultuous rule.

He said he took the cue from his mother, who fought dictator Ferdinand Marcos and was swept to power in the 1986 "people power" revolt. Corazon Aquino's death from cancer in August led to a massive outpouring of grief, which analysts credit for her son's popularity.

Villar, 60, who portrays his rags-to-riches life in his colorful political advertisements, is promising to end poverty in the country. Appealing to mostly poor voters, from whose ranks he once rose, Villar vows to create jobs and provide housing — his main source of income as a leading property developer.

But Villar is also facing censure by his colleagues in the Senate for his alleged role in the rerouting of a highway so that it passes close to his real estate developments. He said the charges are trumped up.

Aquino is being criticized by his rivals as an underachieving legislator with no track record who is riding on his mother's reputation.

Ramon Casiple, head of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, said Aquino has been delivering "motherhood statements ... all visions, but no strategy." He said Aquino needs to step out from the shadow of his family's name and connect with voters, letting them know who he is as person.

The three-month campaign period officially kicks off Feb. 9, but candidates are already allowed to put out radio and television ads.

The amount candidates spend is not disclosed until after elections, but already Villar has the most number of ads. A 30-second prime-time TV ad costs up to 220,000 pesos ($4,700).

Associated Press