SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/27 November) – Tough-talking Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte led all other presidential aspirants in a random survey conducted by a local radio station Friday.
Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy Friday as the standard-bearer of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan at the Commission on Elections’ law department.
RPN-DXKS, a local AM radio station in Surigao City, conducted the one-hour survey among its listeners on Friday.
Anchored by station manager, Tereso “Jun” Clerigo, the survey asked the question: If the election is held today who would you vote for president?
Of the 75 listeners who responded, 59 or 78.6 percent chose Duterte.
Mar Roxas got 10 or 13.3 percent while Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay shared 3 (4%) apiece.
“No one had voted for Senator Miriam Santiago,” Clerigo said after survey.
He said he didn’t count responses sent via text and Facebook messages most of which went for Duterte.
James Condrada, head of Pilipinas Duterte 2016 Surigao told MindaNews he was not surprised by the survey results.
“This only proves that he is the most formidable candidate who has the support of the masses,” he said.
Condrada, who has been campaigning for Duterte in Surigao using social media and other venues, predicted a landslide victory for his candidate in May 2016.
In the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia, Duterte got the highest scores among presidential aspirants in Metro Manila with 34 percent.
Poe got 26 percent, Binay 22 percent, Roxas 11 percent and Santiago 7 percent.
The Pulse Asia survey was conducted two weeks ago in the capital city and was made public last Wednesday.
Sara for mayor
After Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for president as substitute for Martin Diño, his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio took his place as candidate for mayor.
The younger Duterte, who served as mayor from 2010-2013, filed her COC at 11:57 a.m., according to Eva Decolongon, election assistant of Comelec-Davao’s 1st district. She was accompanied by husband Mans.
In a press conference at the Task Force Davao headquarters of the same day, Duterte said he will not ask for money to fund his presidential campaign.
“I will look for money to finance my own campaign. I do not want to burden my children to do it for me. Maghanap ako ng pera, maybe dito lang muna ako sa Davao. I cannot use the money of the government,” he said.
“I can promise you not heaven but I will promise you a comfortable life… corruption has to stop, criminality has to stop,” he added.
Duterte, who is known for his hardline stance against illegal drug syndicates, warned drug lords to leave the country.
He also criticized the authorities running the National Bilibid Prison over reports the penitentiary has become a drug haven.
He added he will decentralize the government by transferring some of the national agencies from Manila to the provinces.
“Ang DA (Department of Agriculture) doon sa (should be in) Mindanao, bakit doon sa Manila na puro simento (why in Manila which is all concrete). We have to decongest not only the people (in Manila) but also the government,” he said.
Duterte earlier said Manila Bay would become the dumping area for criminals should he become president.
He said he would push for federalism to resolve the armed conflicts in Mindanao where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been calling for self-determination through the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. (Roel N. Catoto and Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
