Who's going to ride in tandem?

Who will be the tandems for president and vice president who will fight it out in the 2016 general elections?

The suspense heightens as the official period for the filing of certificates of candidacy draws near.

Thus far, we only have Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. Chiz Escudero as the first team-up for the two highest elective positions.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who had announced his plan to contest the presidency as early as 2010, wanted Poe to be his running mate. But with Poe out of the equation, talk is rife that he might get Sen. Gringo Honasan instead. Or perhaps Batangas Governor Vilma Santos Recto to provide the "star factor" in his campaign. 

Liberal Party presidential bet Mar Roxas is said to be trying to get Rep. Leni Robredo as his running mate. Her acceptance, reports say, will depend on whether her three daughters will approve of her candidacy.

With Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte having officially announced that he is not running for president, the field has narrowed down to three other senators likely to run for higher political office.

Two members of the Nacionalista Party, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes, have declared that they want to present themselves to the electorate in 2016. Cayetano had earlier said he would be available to  run for the presidency, but said recently that now is not the right time for him to seek the presidency.

Trillanes has also declared his availability as vice-presidential candidate. But with the NP apparently not in  a position at this time to field a presidential candidate, the ex-Navy officer's lofty political ambition may have to be set aside for now.   

Sen. Bongbong Marcos, also of the Nacionalista Party, is also said to be gearing up for a possible presidential or vice-presidential run. But his low popularity ratings, just like Trillanes and Cayetano, just might to prompt him to abandon any political plans next year.

With three weeks to go before the Comelec opens its doors to accept candidates in 2016, there's ample time for the political parties and coalitions to make a decision on their 2016 plans. Meantime, the electorate will just have to wait and see who else will make it to the slates of the political parties. 

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