The administration is not the least bit worried by the supremacy of opposition contenders in the presidential surveys, saying only the 2010 elections is the ultimate test to determine the next crop of leaders in the country.
 
With less than 10 months before the elections, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that there is still enough time for the administration party to field its strongest bets and knock out the opposition in next year’s polls.

Ermita, also president of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said the administration national and local slate in the 2010 elections would be propelled by strong party machinery, popular support, and sound policies and programs that have kept the country safe from recession.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda, also economic adviser of the President, aptly summarized the administration’s formula to victory as “power, policy, and people.”

“We are now nine to 10 months away from elections. I think we have the time. As long as a decision is reached soon enough by the party guided by the President, we will be able to make up for whatever it is that worries many people especially the results of the survey,” Ermita said in a news conference in the Palace.

“President Arroyo is the chairman of the party and, as what the good governor said, we have the power and the proper policy and the people. The machinery is very strong,” he added.

In the latest Pulse Asia Survey, Senator Manuel Villar Jr. led the pack of presidential aspirants, followed by former President Estrada and Vice President Noli de Castro.

While many opposition personalities landed high in the survey, the administration allies, namely Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, fared poorly.

“Surveys are surveys. While we are not belittling it, it helps to guide but it’s not all so we will be guided by what the governor just mentioned,” Ermita said. So far, the party leaders are still firming up the selection process of national and local bets with proper consultation of party members.