With less than three weeks to go before election day, candidates are now making last minute pitches to the voting public, hoping that they will be able to come out on top of their political rivals on May 6.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s numbers in surveys continue to rise, despite being pilloried by his political rivals for being a self-confessed womanizer, head of a death squad vigilante group and a vulgar. Duterte was also recently censured severely by his critics for his “uncivilized” remark about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary during a prison riot in Davao in 1989.
Some political observers are saying that Duterte’s “joke remark” on the rape and murder of the Australian missionary could have a backlash on voters come election day. Some are even saying that his numbers in surveys will significantly go down since most of his supporters might have been disgusted about his remarks on the death of the missionary.
With the election coming in less than three weeks, I doubt if Duterte’s political supporters will abandon the feisty city executive from Mindanao. People are tired of empty promises of traditional politicians that no one believes anymore.
Duterte’s no-nonsense drive against crime, illegal drugs and corruption are the reasons why voters remain loyal to him. He is the exact opposite of President Aquino, who is a weakling and a do-nothing and indecisive leader. Duterte, on the other hand, is hard worker and an honest politicians for years. He gets things done efficiently.
A resident fixes campaign streamers posted outside her house in Sampaloc, Manila on Wednesday. Candidates running for both national and local positions have until May 7 to campaign for the May 9 elections, according to the Commission on Election.
No wonder, Duterte is the top choice of most Filipinos to be their next president. We will know next month if Filipino voters have finally come to their senses and elect someone who can really do something good for the people, particularly those who have less in life.
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Despite having an unlimited financial campaign funds and the use of government funds and resources at his disposal, LP presidential bet Mar Roxas remains locked in fourth place, behind Duterte, Llamanzares and Binay.
Roxas’ political rivals have accused him of resorting to bribery to prop up his presidential bid. He is being accused by opposition leaders of bribing people to attend and cheer for him when he’s campaigning.
As expected, Roxas and his campaign staff deny such allegations. However, a two minute video that went viral showed that the emcee in the Roxas rally in Picut town in North Cotabato giving “envelopes” to some people who attended the rally chanting “Oras na, Roxas na.”
This is very pathetic. If I were Roxas, I will just quit the presidential race to save face since there is no hope at all that he will be elected president next month. Poor Leni Robredo. Why did she allow herself to be suckered in running alongside Roxas? It would have been better if she was chosen as the presidential candidate of the Liberal party. I think she has a much better chance of winning the presidency than Roxas.
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Vice President Jojo Binay is still very optimistic that he will win the presidential race next month. If his much-vaunted political machinery will work double time, he might make it. It is only Binay and Roxas who have political organizations that connect all the way down to the farthest rural areas in the country. Both the Vice President and Roxas, particularly Binay, have the most number of governors, congressmen, city and town mayors who are supporting their campaigns.
I suspect that most of these governors, city and town mayors supporting Roxas have already forged secret alliances with Binay. I won’t be surprised if the supposed political allies of Roxas will dump him on election day in favor of Binay, Duterte or Llamanzares.