What would make Miriam run for president again?

In her keynote speech during the commencement exercises of the University of the Philippines-Cebu on Wednesday, April 30, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said she might considering running for president again under one condition.

Tall order

“If all the crooks who are substantially involved in the pork barrel scam are brought to trial before the court, then I will consider running for president,” she said.

She also added, “We need to start and commit with the chance of cleaning up government. And I’m not going to run for president and run the entire country while these crooks are in the environment.”

Call for female president

In a speech at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna in March this year, Santiago had said that Filipino voters should pick a woman president in 2016.

Back then, she had said, “We should have a female president in 2016. 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.”

No cash for campaign

But when asked back then if she also considered herself a contender for the position of president, Santiago had laughed and pointed out her lack of money to finance a campaign. “I was not a member of the pork barrel scam so I don’t have this amount. I never sold my body so I don’t have this amount. My main problem is I don’t have the money, period,” she had quipped.

Santiago ran for president in 1992, but lost to President Fidel V. Ramos.

What survey says

In the recently-released results of the Pulse Asia survey on the potential presidential picks for 2016, Santiago was ranked No. 3.

Some 1,200 respondents were reportedly shown a prepared list of names and asked: “Of the people in this list, whom would you vote for if the 2016 presidential elections were held today and they were candidates?”

The following emerged as the top 10 contenders:

1. Jejomar Binay 40%

2. Grace Poe 15%

3. Miriam Defensor Santiago 10%

4. Chiz Escudero 9%

5. Mar Roxas 6%

6. Bongbong Marcos 5%

7. Alan Peter Cayetano 4%

8. Kris Aquino 4%

9. Bong Revilla 3%

10. Ping Lacson 2%