Meet the Philippines 2010 Vice – Presidential Candidates

As a follow up on my hub: Meet the Philippines 2010 Presidential Candidates, listed below are the candidates for my country’s Vice – President.

Choosing a good Vice – President may not be as crucial as choosing a good President but actually, it is as important if we also vote for the right person on the second highest position of the land. Although the Vice – President does not have as much power as the President has, a major criterion (at least for me) is to choose a Vice – President who is equally capable of running our country just in case the President suddenly steps down from his / her position (due to one reason or another).

Listed below are the Vice – Presidential candidates for this year’s national elections and a bit of a background for each of them. As with the previous hub, this hub is not, by any means, recommending any particular candidate or political party and should not be taken as such.

1. Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay

Jojo Binay is the running mate of Erap Estrada. He is the incumbent mayor of Makati City, one of the most (if not the most) progressive cities in the Philippines. Makati City is home to some of the biggest companies, businesses and malls in the country and boasts of great infrastructure and good public services (in the form of free hospitalization for the poor, particularly the elderly, and free education). He has held the position of mayor for two nine / ten – year terms (1988 to 1998 and 2001 to present).

Jojo Binay is a lawyer by profession. He prides himself of having humble beginnings and working himself up to where he is right now. He originally planned to run for the presidency but chose instead to become the running mate of former President Estrada.

2. Dominador Chipeco

Dominador Chipeco is the Vice – Presidential candidate of JC De Los Reyes (the youngest candidate for Presidency, he’s only 40 years old!). He is also a lawyer by profession and is the current director of St. John Colleges, Inc. From reading his profile, it would seem that this is the first time he is venturing into the world of politics.

3. Bayani ‘BF’ Fernando

Known for his sometimes controversial programs / actions as a former head of the Metro Manila Development Authority (he had waiting sheds painted pink!), BF Fernando is the running mate of Richard Gordon. They are tagging themselves as the real ‘reformist’ in the political arena and the two candidates who have the real ‘political will’. BF Fernando is a Mechanical Engineer by profession. He has launched various projects in his bid to make Metro Manila more beautiful and to lessen the (very bad) traffic situation. Whether he is successful or not, I’ll leave it to the Metro Manila residents to decide.

BF Fernando’s wife is the incumbent mayor of MarikinaCity.

4. Loren Legarda

The only female candidate for the Vice – President position, Loren Legarda is the running mate of Manny Villar. This is her second bid for the same position.

Loren Legarda started her career as a TV newscaster in one of the top TV channels of the country. She was voted as senator two times (1998 and then 2007). Both times, she was the number one voted senator. Her advocacies include good governance, environmental protection, preservation of culture and sustainable development. She is also keen on protecting the rights of women and children.

5. Edu Manzano

The running mate of Gibo Teodoro (the standard – bearer of the current president’s political party), Edu Manzano is a known local actor and TV host. He first ventured into politics when he ran for vice – mayor of Makati City. He ran for mayor of the same city in 2001 but lost to the incumbent Mayor Binay. Thereafter, he became the chairman of the Optical Media Board, an organization specifically formed to combat media piracy. This is his comeback in the political arena.

6. Mar Roxas

Tagged as ‘Mr. Palengke’ (palengke is the local term for wet market here), Mar Roxas is the running mate of Noynoy Aquino. He was the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, a position he held twice under two different presidents (Erap Estrada and Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo). He resigned from his position in 2004 to run as a senator, where he was elected with the most number of votes (20 million) ever obtained by any national candidate. His nickname was derived from his successful 2004 campaign as a man intent on making the lives of those vendors in the wet market better (vendors are identified with the masses).

Mar Roxas comes from an old political family. His grandfather is the late president, Manuel Roxas, while his father was the former senator Gerry Roxas. He is married to Korina Sanchez, a known TV host and newscaster, whom he married in 2009. He previously planned to ran for the presidential position (a fact he already announced last year) but chose to slide down to the vice presidential position to give way to his friend, Noynoy Aquino.

7. Perfecto ‘Jun’ Yasay Jr.

Another lawyer candidate, Jun Yasay is the Vice – Presidential candidate of Eddie Villanueva. Jun Yasay is the former chairman of the Philippine Securities and Commission, a position he held from 1995 to 2000. In 2000, he stood up to the then president – Erap Estrada and his stance eventually led to the impeachment trial of President Estrada. Off the political world, he also owns and runs his own law firm, in partnership with other lawyers.

Once again, this hub (as with the other one) is not meant to promote a single candidate or political party. The information presented here are the results of research made plus my personal knowledge of the political background of several of the candidates. That said, if you're a Filipino reader, please don't forget to answer my poll below.

Vote wisely and may the best candidates win!