(Eagle News) — The May 9, 2016 elections would define the direction that the Philippines would take as the ASEAN community becomes a force to reckon with in the global community.
The complex issues facing the next president would need somebody tough, intelligent, and clear on his direction that would make the Philippines as a lead nation in the ASEAN community.
In this part 4 of the May 7 episode of ASEAN in Focus weekend edition that aired Saturday, former Philippine Ambassador Jose V. Romero Jr., Ph.D, Chairman and President Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and the Asian Center for Study of Democracy, and University of the Philippines Professor Aries Arugay., Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, continue to analyze Philippine 2016 elections in the context of a strenghtened ASEAN Community.
Dr. Carlos Tabunda Jr., of the Development Academy of the Philippines, ASEAN in Focus resident resource person interviews Ambassador Romero and Prof. Arugay in this episode which also tackled the relevance of the Iglesia Ni Cristo vote in the Philippine elections.
Prof. Arugay said “the endorsement of a major religious group like the INC has historically delivered for a lot of politicians in Philippine elections.”
“And the batting average of the INC is quite high,” he said. Arugay explained that given how hotly contested the elections are in the Philippines, “every endorsement matters.”
Ambassador Romero said that one thing good about the INC endorsement is that the religious organization has “convinced a lot of voters to vote.”
“We should be very grateful that we have elections. Everybody should participate,” Romero said.
The foreign policy expert also stressed how the Philippines is a “God-centered country,” and that it was important that whoever wins — “as long as we have a credible and peaceful elections” — should be supported by the whole citizenry
The program concluded: “We do not know what the post-election scenario would be. But one thing is clear, it rests not only on the next president, but with the whole citizenry backing whoever will win on May 9.”
ASEAN in Focus weekend edition airs every Saturday, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., with replays every Sunday at 11 p.m. There is also a daily news program for ASEAN in Focus (Monday to Friday 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays) where the interviews of the experts are aired
