Political campaigning in the Philippines ahead of presidential elections due on 9th May is now well underway. Grace Poe, an independent candidate and adopted daughter of Fernando Poe, a defeated presidential candidate from 2004, is currently ahead in the opinion polls. However, questions have been raised over whether she is actually a “natural-born Filipino”, and as such is eligible to stand. Of the other main contenders, the interior minister, Manuel Roxas, who has won the backing of President Aquino, is seen as the continuity candidate. Untainted by corruption scandals, Roxas is generally seen as being a safe pair of hands. The third front-runner is Vice President Jejomar Binay. At 72 years old, 20 of which were spent as mayor of Makati, Manila’s financial district, Binay has plenty of experience. However, a major corruption scandal has damaged his reputation and has lost him support. The fourth and final candidate seen to have a chance of winning is Rodrigo Duterte, a seven-term mayor of Davao, whose reputation as a crime buster earned him the name “Dirty Harry”.
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