Enrile son admits pa's handling of Corona trial boosting his senatorial bid

Cagayan Rep. Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr., son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, admitted Friday that his father’s performance at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is boosting his bid for a Senate post next year.

 

In a rare press conference, the younger Enrile said his father’s “fair and objective” handling of the Corona trial helped him become one of the front runners in the 2013 senatorial elections, based on popularity surveys during the past months.

 

“Of course, malaki ang impact ng performance niya sa magiging tiyansa ko sa senatorial elections, but whether it would directly translate to votes, it’s a question that we will have to answer during the day of the elections,” the congressman said at a briefing in Tagaytay City.

 

Last March, pollster Pulse Asia said Enrile Jr. may land on third to seventh place if elections were to be held during the survey period. Enrile Jr., a neophyte lawmaker, however said that he wants to step out of his father’s shadow by focusing on issues the Senate President does not advocate.

 

He particularly said that he wants to push for bills promoting the welfare of small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs when elected as senator.

 

Despite this, the congressman will use a slogan for the 2013 polls that is very similar to what his father used in 2010: “Gusto ko everybody happy.” Enrile’s slogan during the senatorial elections two years ago was: “Gusto ko, happy ka.”

 

Enrile Jr., a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), is being considered as a senatorial candidate by the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)—a coalition formed by Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

 

The congressman, however, said that there are also talks for him to be an adopted candidate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP).

 

As a lawmaker, Enrile Jr. has currently authored 17 House bills. The lone measure he has managed to pass so far is one renaming the Aparri School of the Arts and Trade in Cagayan into Aparri Polytechnic College. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News