Ranked No. 3 RODY DUTERTE VOWS TO GIVE PRESIDENCY SERIOUS THOUGHT

By Manny Piñol

Ozamis City – Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte yesterday said he was humbled by the results of a national survey which showed him tied for 3rd place with former President Joseph Estrada in voters’ choice for President in 2016 and he would give the idea of the Presidency a serious thought.

“Huna-hunaon nako,” he told a huge crowd in Ozamis City led by Mayor Aldong Parojinog who along with local officials and civic and business leaders attended the Federalism Forum where Duterte was the main speaker.

(I will think it over.)

“I’m humbled and I would like to thank people, including those from outside of Davao City, for expressing their trust in me,” Duterte said a day after survey firm Pulse Asia ranked him in 3rd place with President Estrada, behind Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe.

Asked if the results of the survey would help him decide whether to heed people’s call for him to run for President, the colorful Davao City Mayor said he will give the idea a serious thought.

The statement that he would give serious thought to the call for him to throw his hat into the President was a radical departure from his vehement rejection of the idea last year.

He even threatened in jest that he would shoot people who were pushing him to run for President.

Earlier this year, however, Duterte agreed to conduct the “Listening Tour” which brought him to over 20 areas in the different parts of the country over the last three months.

The “Listening Tour” actually advocated Federalism but it also served as an opportunity for Duterte’s supporters to gauge the sentiments of the people.

While it was only the first time that Duterte was included in a national survey which aimed to rank presidential prospects, he posted a respectable 12% preference rating nationwide.

Binay had 29% while Poe registered 14%.

Duterte actually came from nowhere. He was not even included in the last surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Station (SWS).

What was considered for other presidential aspirants was the fact that in the first survey him, Duterte posted a 32% preference by Mindanao voters, effectively cutting Binay’s dominance in Mindanao.

“Hindi pa sya (Duterte) nagde-deklara nyan. Lalong lalakas yan kapag sinabi na nya na tatakbo sya,” said anti-crime crusader Dante Jimenez whose Bicol Autonomy group is backing Duterte.

The Davao City Mayor, however, will have to work harder in Metro Manila and Luzon, should he decide to run for President.

The recent survey results showed that Duterte is still largely unknown in Metro Manila and Northern Luzon.

Political observers, however, believe that Duterte’s record in the campaign against drugs and criminality and his record in government service unblemished by issues of corruption would make him easy to “sell” to voters in other parts of the country.

On March 26, the “Listening Tour” goes to the island-province of Bohol.