Miriam Defensor-Santiago | The Adobo Chronicles

Buwaya (crocodile), left; pig a.k.a. pork barrel

Manila, Philippines – Last month, The Adobo Chronicles reported that Philippine Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III proposed to replace the country’s national symbol from the Philippine Eagle to the Tiger, consistent with economic forecasts that the Philippines is now considered the new “Asian Tiger.” Well, it turned out that Sotto’s proposal received lukewarm reception among his colleagues in the Senate as well as from the Filipino people.

Consequently, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chair of the Senate’s Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes asked the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to send out a survey to all registered voters in the Philippines to find out what their preference is for the country’s new national symbol. Santiago said that she wanted input from the Filipinos on the most appropriate symbol that would represent the country and its system of government.

The Philippine Eagle, left, and the tiger

Here are the results of the survey, with 98% of registered voters accounted for:

1. Pig – 48%

2. Crocodile – 46%

3. Tiger – 3%

4. Philippine Eagle – 2%

5. Mermaid – 1%

Dyesebel (mermaid) Photo credit: markednicdao — Dyesebel (mermaid)
Photo credit: markednicdao

In reporting the survey results, the COMELEC noted that Filipinos who suggested the pig were convinced that it best represents the pork barrel scam that has rocked the country and the political system in recent years. The crocodile, according to its proponents, represents the greed that seems to be a consistent characteristic of most politicians and government officials. As far as the mermaid is concerned, the COMELEC said Filipinos thought it best represents the marine and fisheries industry that is the prime source of livelihood for majority of the population. Observers, however, think that the choice of the mermaid was prompted by a new television series on the mythical creature that is about to make its debut in the Philippines. The TV series is titled “Dyesebel.”

Manila, Philippines – Speaking at an International Women’s Day celebration in the Philippines this week, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the next president of the Philippines should be female. If recent nationwide polls will hold up, Santiago may be right, and it could be her.

“We’ve had 13 male and only two female presidents so far. The Philippines has had a total of 15 presidents. To achieve equality between males and females, since we have had 13 males, the next 11 presidents should be female,” she said. She added: “research shows that when women are empowered as political leaders, countries often experience higher standards of living with positive developments in education, infrastructure, and health care.”

In a nationwide poll conducted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Santiago was the runaway winner among all the other potential female presidential candidates in 2016, or as they are called in the Philippines, “presidentiables.” Santiago was the top choice of 76.59% of those polled, while the runner-up was Senator Grace Poe, with a distant 10.68%. Incumbent Justice Secretary Leila de Lima came in third with 5.57%. Other female presidentiables got less than 3%.

But how does Santiago stack up against the leading male presidentiables?

The Adobo Chronicles conducted its own nationwide poll pitting Santiago against incumbent Vice President Jojo Binay and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas. Binay has kept no secret his intention to succeed President NoyNoy Aquino who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term. Roxas, on the other hand, has been constantly mentioned in the political and media circles whenever the 2016 elections are brought up.

Here are the results of AdoboChron’s poll which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%:

Miriam Defensor-Santiago , 97%

Vice President Jojo Binay, 1.2%

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, 1.0%

The remaining poll votes were equally divided among write-in candidates, namely, Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Congressman Manny Pacquiao, and Television host Vhong Navarro.