Who’s The Next President? (Last of a Series) RODY DUTERTE IS PEOPLE’S TOP CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT

By Manny Pinol

Last week, this page started a series of articles on probable bets for the presidential elections in 2016 and encouraged people to click “Like” if the subject of the article was their choice.

Seven political personalities were featured namely: Vice President Jejomar Binay, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, Senator Chiz Escudero, Senator Bongbong Marcos, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Senator Panfilo Lacson and Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte.

Well, after the series here are the results of the on-line survey which would include not only the “Likes” but also the number of people who opened the article and read it and posted comments:

1. Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte – “LIKES” – 661; People who opened the article – 24,576; Comments on Duterte article – 123;

2. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago – “LIKES” – 107; People who read article – 3,564; Comments – 19;

3. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – “LIKES” – 78; People who read article: 4,172; Comments – 45;

4. Senator Chiz Escudero – “LIKES” – 47; People who read article -2,764; Comments – 11;

5. Senator Panfilo Lacson – “LIKES” – 42; People who read article – 59; Comments 16;

6. Secretary Mar Roxas – “LIKES” – 25; People who read article – 3,032; Comments – 35;

7. Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay – “LIKES” – 13; People who read article – 992; Comments – 9;

Based on these figures, it appears that Davao City Mayor Duterte will be the runaway winner should the Presidential Elections be held among the followers of this page.

Duterte earned 661 “Likes” and the article was read by 24,576 and gained 123 Comments.

What was also shocking were the figures for Vice President Binay, the man touted to be a shoo-in for the Presidency. He comes at the tail-end of the list with only 13 “Likes,” which is 12 points less than the man who defeated in the vice presidential race in 2010, Secretary Roxas.

What is also equally intriguing is the number of “Likes” for Senator Defensor-Santiago, considered largely as a “Loose Canon,” who came in at Number 2 with 107 “Likes.”

It must be emphasized, however, that this is not a scientific study and in no way could this be reflective of the expected results of the presidential elections in 2016.

People have to realize the following factors which could very well determine the results of our Presidential Elections:

1. The influence of the American Government in our elections is a given. Their invisible tentacles have always worked to make sure that the leader of the country would be somebody who is friendly with the US so that their interests in the region would be protected. Remember how the Americans played a role in the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos and President Joseph Estrada?

2. Influence of the Oligarchs and the Big Business Interests who will spend a lot of money for candidates they perceive would make the business climate in the country more stable and who would be able to protect their interests. This explains why people like Lucio Tan could get away with their tax cases and even get government to refund him while unconnected people like Manny Pacquiao gets fleeced to his skin.

3. Party affiliation and financial support are also needed for a presidential candidate to launch an organized and well-funded campaign. In my estimate, if a Presidential candidate allocates P50M for each of 90 provinces and a lot more for Metro Manila, he would need at least P8-B to P10-B to wage a campaign.

4. Pre-election Vote Buying has also become so rampant these days that it could alter the results as reflected in the surveys. This was what happened in one town here in North Cotabato in the last elections where millions of pesos were poured by a candidate for a top position to reverse the trend. Money did change people’s mind.

5. Election Day and Post-Election Day “Special Operations” are also being done to win the elections. This was shown in Maguindanao Province and other areas where people are under the control of political warlords.

These are some of the factors which may affect the results of the Presidential Elections in 2016, as they had affected the previous elections too.

So, as things stand now, people, given a choice, would prefer a political maverick, one who gets things done regardless of the method, to be their president.

They would like a Philippines where the applies to everybody, like in Davao City where even the Mayor’s daughter, Sarah Duterte-Carpio, herself former Mayor of the City, gets arrested for over-speeding.

They would like President who could reach out to everybody, the NPAs, the Muslim rebels, and other groups, and who refuses to be manipulated by the US government or big business interests.

People are sick and tired of traditional politicians as indicated by the results for VP Binay in this unofficial “Like” survey.

But then again, there is more to the Presidency of this country than meets the eye.

That is the reality and that happens “Onli en d Pilipens.”