(Bloomberg) — A first-time Philippine senator who is the adopted daughter of a film star is edging out veteran politicians as the preferred candidate to replace President Benigno Aquino, even before she’s declared her intention to run.
Grace Poe, 46, was picked by 12 of 23 analysts and bankers in a Bloomberg survey this month as the best choice to steer the Philippine economy after Aquino leaves office a year from now. Vice President Jejomar Binay, 72, got three votes, while four chose Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, 58.
Poe, whose senatorial bid was backed by Aquino, combines a compelling life story with a relatively new political career umblemished by scandal. Abandoned as a baby at the steps of a church and raised by a film star famous for roles where he fought for the masses, Poe’s perceived honesty resonates in a country whose biggest priorities are fighting corruption and building infrastructure.
“Aquino gave us a second chance to be a tiger economy,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist at BDO Unibank Inc. in Manila. “But we aren’t there yet. The next president has to have the will to stop corruption and boost infrastructure. In the case of Grace Poe, people perceive her as honest, somebody who will protect the anti-corruption drive.”
More than half the respondents in the Bloomberg survey predict economic expansion of at least 6 percent will be sustained in the next 10 years. The biggest priorities economists, bankers and academics picked out for the next government were infrastructure investment and protecting the anti-corruption drive.
MANILA BULLETIN
