But the incumbent has staged a remarkable comeback, only days before the May 10 presidential vote. After narrowing the race to a statistical dead heat, Arroyo pulled ahead of Poe by three points in mid-April opinion polls, and analysts expect her to add to that margin in the final week of campaigning. The president has been on a relentless campaign schedule. And in recent months she has craftily used the advantages of her office, enacting new job, health-care and education schemes for the country’s poor.
Still, Poe’s political incompetence may be more to blame than Arroyo’s accomplishments. Despite his good looks, the challenger’s charisma does not translate to the hustings, and he has refused all offers to debate Arroyo on TV. More surprising, Poe has been playing the recluse, shunning the media for months. On those rare occasions when the press corps has been able to collar him, his answers to questions have failed to inspire confidence. Arroyo’s presidency may have had its ups and downs, but at least she’s not missing in action.
