SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/30 April) — Majority of the voters in Dinagat Islands will choose Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for President over other candidates, the provincial information officer said.
Millard Tawakal, provincial information officer of Dinagat Province, told MindaNews
“majority of the Dinagatnons will support Duterte.”
He said Duterte will win here “if not by a big margin, by landslide victory” whether or not he is endorsed by the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA).
CASTLE ON A HILL. The residence of Governor Glenda Ecleo of Dinagat Islands in San Jose town is also where the Supreme Master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) lives. The governor, who is unopposed in his reelection bid is a member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) whose standard bearer is Vice President Jejomar Binay. The Supreme Master said Dinagat residents will go for Mindanawon Presidential bet Rodrigo Duterte. MindaNews file photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
Atty. Clarito Servillas, one of the leaders of Duterte Movement in Surigao del Norte said no less than the supreme master of the PBMA. Ruben Benjie Ecleo III, has thrown his hat into supporting Duterte even as Dinagat Islands Governor Glenda Ecleo and mayors of the towns of San Jose, Dinagat and Basilisa who are run by Ecleos are aligned with United Nationalists Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay, one of five candidates running for President.
Servillas along with Fernando Almeda Jr., went to Dinagat Island Thursday morning to meet with the PBMA chief.
PBMA, which claims to have at least a million members, was founded by the late Ruben Ecleo Sr., in 1965. The island-province has been known to go for “bloc voting” during elections.
Servillas said they expect a bloc-voting in favor of Duterte.
Dinagat Islands is among the vote-poorest province in the country. Out of the country’s voting population of 54,363,844, Dinagat accounts for only 69,051.
It is one of six provinces out of the country’s 81, with registered voters of less than a hundred thousand.
Reelectionist governor Glenda Ecleo is running unopposed. His son, reelectionist Vice Governor BenGlen is running against Babie Ladaga of the Liberal Party while daughter Geraldine is running against incumbent lone Representative to Congress Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao.
In the 2013 elections, Geraldine ran against her mother but lost, while her partner then, Bag-ao, won the congressional post. (Roel N. Catoto / MindaNews)