Fading performance
Credit Fernando Poe Jnr with consistency. When the ageing action star announced 72 days ago that he was running for president, most Filipinos knew next to nothing about his political credentials. Now, with 18 days to the election, they know even less.
Poe has not defined what he stands for. He has not sketched out what he will do if elected. He still has not even clearly answered the question of why he is running. None of this fazes Poe, who seems confident he will win solely on the basis of his popularity as a movie star. Apparently he expects the public to vote for his big-screen persona - the hard-drinking, gun-slinging, two-fisted avenger of wrongs, who has killed hundreds of villainous extras and despatched scores of hapless 'Japanese' troops in second world war epics.
With such credits, who needs to pay attention to platforms, media relations, political networking, fund-raising or personal diplomacy? Well, Poe should. Because that ominous creaking sound he hears are the wheels coming off his campaign.
Already, Poe's lead in the surveys has been overtaken by his main foe, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. His predicted share of votes has not increased since he started campaigning. His organisation is running out of money, his media staff are in disarray and he has been unable to stop his political allies squabbling.
Most of the problems can be traced directly to Poe. A reclusive, short-tempered person, he has failed to live up to his billing. He has also proved to be amazingly tone deaf when it comes to politics. A planned visit to Mindanao had to be postponed after it nearly set off a small war between rival warlord supporters. And while he has presented himself as an alternative to traditional politics, last week he visited the corpse of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and allied himself with the Marcos family - the Frankenstein monsters of Philippine politics.
Poe's actress wife, Susan Roces, has not done him any favours, either. Last weekend, during a rally in the provinces, she hit a local politician whom she thought was being fresh with her. Unfortunately, he was a Poe supporter, and was trying to tell her to respond to the cheers.
Poe is probably following the lead of another famous actor, Joseph Estrada, who swept to power. But detestable though his ethics might be, Estrada oozes charm and self-deprecating humour. Poe has none of this. He apparently believes that a candidate who says nothing will not make any mistakes. But it might also lead voters to think that he actually has nothing to say.
If Poe wins despite all these handicaps, he will have the material for a heroic epic. But right now, what's playing is a comedy.
