Duterte now open to gunning for the presidency
AT THIS point in time, there’s a 40% chance that Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will run for president next year.
The chief executive’s announcement in yesterday’s “Umagang Kay Ganda” on ABS-CBN was a huge turnaround from his previous position about not being interested in Malacanang.
Aside from “Umagang Kay Ganda,” Duterte was also a guest at yesterday morning’s “Headstart” at the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).
However, at the cable news show, Duterte once again insisted he did not want the candidacy despite repeatedly being asked to run by several sectors. He insisted his advocacy was for federalism and not for his rise to a higher national post.
“I’ve never said in any forum that I am running for president. I am prepeared to see a presidency of either Poe or Binay,” he said.
The mayor also discussed foreign policy at Headstart, tackling relations with Malaysia, China and the United States.
“We want peace with our neighbors. We can always talk about it,” he said of Sabah, which is being reclaimed by the Philippines as part of its territory following a lease by the Sultan of Sulu. “It’s a very fertile land, good fishing grounds.”
On China, Duterte said the US was “just posturing” in the dispute in the West Philippine Sea (formerly the South China Sea.)
China’s reclamation activities at territories still part of the Philippines has raised international concern on their claims of another territory they claim was within their nine-dash line.
The mayor was yesterday scheduled to speak with business leaders in Makati City, making a stopover at two morning television shows.
Later in the day, Duterte was also scheduled to appear at News.ph, a nightly news program at CNN.
Earlier this week, MindaNews reported Duterte’s rise on the list of top contenders for the presidency.
The Social Weather Stations, for example, ranks Duterte fourth place and the Pulse Asia survey ranking him third among 10 candidates.
In the Pulse Asia nationwide survey conducted on May 30 to June 5, and in the SWS nationwide survey June 5 to 8, Vice President Jejomar Binay was dislodged from the number 1 spot by Senator Grace Poe (30% Asia Pulse; 42% SWS).
Binay slid to number 2 with 22 % in Asia Pulse and 34% in SWS.
Duterte ranked third in Pulse Asia (15%) and fourth in SWS (20%).
Roxas ranked fourth in Pulse Asia with only 10% but was one per cent higher than Duterte in SWS (21%). Roxas tied with former president, now Manila mayor Joseph Estrada in the Pulse Asia survey.
Duterte topped the Pulse Asia survey in Mindanao and was a rank and percentage higher in the Visayas survey than Roxas, who hails from the Visayas.
The Pulse Asia survey listed 10 names for president: Poe, Binay, Duterte, Roxas, Estrada, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, former Senator Panfilo “Lacson, former chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG) Camilo Sabio and former Ambassador Roy Seneres.
The SWS survey asked for three names from the respondents on who they think would be the “best leaders to succeed President Noynoy Aquino in 2016.” Fourteen names were given by the respondents: Poe, Binay, Roxas, Duterte, Estrada, Lacson, Senator Francis Escudero, Santiago, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Cayetano, former Senator Manuel Villar, Binay (no first name indicated), Senator Loren Legarda and Senator Antonio Trillanes .
Strongest, weakest
Duterte, according to the Pulse Asia survey, is strongest in Mindanao with 37% followed by Binay’s 18% and Poe’s 15%, Joseph Estrada’s 16% and Roxas’ 8% but is weakest in balance of Luzon (outside the National Capital Region) with only 7% compared with Poe’s 36%, Binay’s 22%, Roxas’ 12 and Estrada’s 8%.
In the National Capital Region, Duterte ranked third at 11%, against Poe’s 32%, Binay’s 22%, Estrada’s 9% and Roxas’ 5%.
In the Visayas, Duterte also ranked third with 13%, against Poe’s 30%, Binay’s 26%, Roxas’ 12% and Estrada’s 7th.
Among the five on top of the list – Poe, Binay, Duterte, Roxas and Estrada – only Roxas hails from the Visayas but Duterte was a rank and a percentage higher than Roxas.
Overall, Duterte’s popularity has risen in the SWS surveys — from 5% in November-December 2014 to 15% in March 2015 and 20% in June 2015.
The June survey posted on its website, however, did not include details on the rankings of the candidates in the National Capital Region (NCR), balance of Luzon (BL), Visayas and Mindanao.
Vice president
In the vice presidential race, the Pulse Asia survey showed Poe also topping it nationwide with 41%, followed by Escudero at 15%, Cayetano at 12%, Duterte and Marcos at 9%.
Duterte did not top the survey in Mindanao for vice president but ranked second to Poe –17% against Poe’s 41%, Escudero’s13%, and Cayetano’s 10% and Marcos’ 5%.
In the Visayas, Duterte also ranked second at 15% against Poe’s 39%, Escudero’s and Cayetano’s 13% and Marcos’ 10%.
Duterte has repeatedly said he would not run for President but has been going around the country for a “listening tour” on federalism. (With reports from MindaNews)