THE WAITING CONTINUES Duterte tells CEOs: “I am not running”

by Chito A. Fuentes

MAKATI CITY - The other presidential candidates can heave a sigh of relief for now: Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is still not convinced about a presidential bid.

Speaking before a full-house gathering of top-notch businessmen during the Asian CEO Forum at the Makati Residences, Duterte insists the presidency still has not entered his mind.

Duterte’s stock has risen in recent weeks with his strong showing in the recent surveys. He placed third in the Pulse Asia survey and fourth in the Social Weather Stations.

A tight schedule Wednesday where he guested at different media organizations prompted speculations something was brewing over at the Duterte camp.

Diamond Residences executive Richard Harris acknowledged the “grandest number of media people we’ve seen” during the forum

The mayor, however, lost no time in dashing the hopes of many in his audience that he would finally turn around from his previous position.

“It does not excite me,” Duterte said before his audience, the same words he uttered in his listening tours that has taken him to both urban centers and impoverished towns in the country.

The mayor added that he suspected his audiences were there anticipating that he would make a declaration.

“Perhaps you expected this would turn into a meeting de avance” he remarked, stressing the obvious.

Each time Duterte emphatically declared he was not running, he was met with cold silence.

The mayor regaled his listeners with witty retorts during the open forum, provoking laughter and applause at different stages.

At other times, he turned serious, pointing out that erosion of trust and faith in the government “would tear this country apart”.

He warned that a Duterte presidency would not go the usual route.

“I will not be an inutile president,” he repeatedly declared.

This declaration has only succeeded to whet the appetite of people desperate for change and reform.  

Duterte again said he will declare a revolutionary government if he does not get the support he will get from existing institutions.

“We all need to reform, and it has to start with me,” he added.

Despite a categorical declaration that his decision is “final”, however, Duterte only seemed to excite at least one person about the eagerly-awaited declaration.

“He is what we need,” a businessman was overheard saying outside the venue where participants continued to loiter long after the event was concluded.

Cynthia Carreon, a former sports commissioner, declared during the open forum that “all of us here” wanted Duterte to run.

Duterte supporters have been hoping the mayor will finally change his mind and many CEOs were hoping he will announce that during the forum. The standing ovation before and after his speech gave a hint of that.

It turned out the Diamond Residences would not be the venue for that.

The waiting will have to continue. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

PULSE ASIA RESULT Duterte reaction: “Give it to them”

by Chito A. Fuentes

TANDAG,Surigao del Sur – If Mayor Rodrigo Duterte had any reaction to his impressive no. 3 ranking in the latest Pulse Asia survey, he did not show it.  

“Give it to the people who hunger for it,” Duterte remarked in the only time he referred to the recent survey.

The mayor was in Tandag City to grace the 55th “Araw ng Surigao del Sur” Friday.

At the start of his speech at the Tandag City gym, Duterte immediately doused cold water on expectations that the survey results would appeal to him.

“I have no ambition to run for the presidency,” the mayor declared, eliciting gasp from his audience which included Gov. Johnny Pimentel.

Every available space in the 5,000-capacity gym was filled with people who stood up and cheered when Duterte arrived.  

The mayor acknowledged the expression of support given to him by the governor and other provincial officials but remained firm in his disinterest for the presidency.

He revealed that he is dealing with a “growing rebellion” in his family as talks of a possible presidential refused to die down.

“Mayor Inday and her mother would not allow it,” the mayor said referring to his daughter, former Mayor Sara Duterte.

He acknowledged that many friends have joined in.

“Just allow us to try,” he quoted his unnamed friends who are persistent in their efforts to drum up support for his candidacy.

Duterte scored 15% in the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted among 1,200 respondents from May 30 to June 5.

It was good enough to retain his third place ranking in the previous survey where he tied with Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

More importantly, Duterte came within 7% of Vice President Jejomar Binay who dropped to 22% which relegated him to second place.

Sen. Grace Poe seized first place after receiving 30% of voters’ preference. 

In an ambush interview with reporters at the airport before boarding the private helicopter that would take him back to Davao, Duterte was asked if his decision not to run was final.

Duterte’s face turned serious as he looked at the faces of the Davao-based reporters before him.

“We will see each other in Davao, you line up and I will kick each one of you,” he remarked as he slowly broke into a smile.

His response was met with laughter.

It meant his decision is not yet final. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

Duterte believers grow, Survey results reveal

by Chito A. Fuentes

Despite his expressed disinterest for the presidency, more people say they will vote for Mayor Rodrigo Duterte if the elections were held today.

Pulse Asia released the results of its latest survey Friday which was conducted from May 30 to June 5.

The big story was the ascent of Sen. Grace Poe to the top when she got 30% of voter preference, toppling long-time survey front-runner Vice President Jejomary Binay who slid down to second with 22%.

Duterte, who vaulted into third place in the previous survey after being disregarded in the past, continued to rise with 15%.

This marked a 3% increase from his previous 12% which puts him just 7% behind Binay.

Duterte continued to soar in Mindanao where he tallied 37%, the most received by any survey participant.

(Surigao del Sur supporter says it all in his shirt - Photo by Roldan Gorgonio)

Just like the previous survey, Duterte dominated Mindanao with 35%, a testament to the impact made by the country’s longest serving city mayor in the post-EDSA era.

Duterte has been going around the country in his advocacy for a shift to federalism from the present unitary system which is being blamed for much of the country’s problems.

The listening tour instead has turned Duterte into a legitimate presidential contender when more and more people who saw him up close and personal for the first time turned into instant believers.

While Duterte continues to parry the calls for him to throw his hat into next year’s presidential race, his supporters continue to grow by the day.

Duterte himself acknowledged that supporters have become more brazen as shown by the running of infomercials on TV, billboards in many parts of the country, the distribution of t-shirts, stickers and ballers.

While the mayor has publicly declared that he will wrap up his listening tour after his last scheduled sortie in Catanduanes, his public appearances are assured after his office was swamped with invitations to various events in different parts of the country.

Duterte was scheduled to grace the 8^th charter day anniversary in Tandag, Surigao del Sur Friday after speaking before the 20^th Caraga region business conference in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur Tuesday.

The tough-talking mayor who has captured the imagination of a growing number of Filipinos wary of the rising criminality and the increasing boldness of drug and criminal syndicates has been unequivocal against running for president.

His pronounced aversion for a national position has not deterred his supporters who are actively campaigning for a national draft hoping that Duterte will eventually change his mind and give in to the emerging national draft.

Duterte’s rising popularity has baffled political strategists as the mayor speaks his mind on many issues with categorical declarations that normally would have antagonized voters accustomed to sweet talks and motherhood statements.

The mayor also shows little concern for public image by revealing even unflattering aspects of his private life in public gatherings which separate him from other contenders.

This growing appreciation for the unconventional provincial leader who turned his city around from the killing fields of the 80s into the safest city in the country in the new millennium is what drives his supporters to plod on.

Duterte himself is feeling the increasing difficulty of resisting the clamor, conceding that if it is his destiny, he cannot do anything about it.

With what he did to Davao, his supporters are working harder to win over more believers enough to make history by installing a provincial official straight to Malacanang, at the same time the first Mindanaoan to make it all the way to the top. (CHITO A. FUENTES) 

MAYORS CONFESSED TO HIM Duterte says drugs now no. 1 problem

by Chito A. Fuentes

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says the proliferation of illegal drugs is now the no. 1 problem of mayors all over the country.

Duterte was in San Francisco town to address the 20th Caraga Business Conference Trade Fair at the San Francisco Farmers and Youth Training Center.

With the theme “Managing Resources Towards ASEAN Partnership and Competitiveness”, the congress sought to address the challenges and opportunities of the region in relation to other players in Southeast Asia.

Among those who graced the congress were Mayor Jenny de Asis, Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza, Rep. Evelyn Plaza-Mellana and Engr. Sisinio Narisma, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry regional governor.

In his keynote address, Duterte pointed to the real and present danger that illegal drugs pose in the country.

“I have been everywhere, lahat ng mayors nakausap ko, I ask them what is the problem, they tell me ‘Rod, drugs,” he added.

Duterte noted that shabu has flooded the market because it’s easy to manufacture. 

Worse, the mayor said the drug syndicates thrive because “they can corrupt everybody”.

“It can pull this country down if di ma-control,” Duterte warned.

The mayor who is credited for turning Davao City around from a violent city in the early 80s to the 9th safest city in the world warned against the spread of narco-politics.

He cited a TV report which revealed that nine out of 10 barangays in the metropolis “are contaminated with shabu”.

In spite of this, the problem does not seem to get the urgency that it deserves.

“Ako lang ang pinaka-vocal about killing those into drugs,” he pointed out.

Duterte is known for his unrelenting stance against illegal drugs and all forms of criminalities. 

“Wala akong pasensya dyan (I have no patience for that),” he declared, drawing applause from the participants.

Duterte has captured the imagination of many Filipinos who now clamor for him to run for the presidency in next year’s polls.

While he continues to remain coy about his political plans, Duterte’s stock continues to rise after he vaulted into third place in the last survey of both the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia.

The mayor stressed that he is merely living up to his initial pledge when he was first assumed as mayor of Davao.

“I will restore order and sanity in the city,” he recalled.

That could well be what many Filipinos want him to do on a national scale. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

NO SACRED COW Pro-Duterte organizer booked for smoking

by Chito A. Fuentes

DAVAO CITY – There is no sacred cow in Davao.

No less than the prime mover and organizer of a group pushing for the presidential bid of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was arrested for smoking in a non-designated smoking area Saturday evening.

Jimmy Cabrera himself playfully posted the arrest of his photo on his Facebook page showing the responding policeman writing down the violation.

In the photo, an obviously amused Cabrera smiled at the camera while two other onlookers smiled approvingly.

The photo, first posted from the FB account of one Boy Viet Cong, carried the title “DDS – Disciplined Davaoeno Smokers”.

It carried the tagline “paying the price @ pryce plaza”.

“MAD organizer Jimmy Cabrera smiles and willingly submits himself as a police officer books him for violating Davao City’s anti-smoking ordinance in a vacant lot outside the venue during the Musicians & Artists for Duterte’s gig at the Reggae Grill. Jimmy and 5 other guests were in a place adjacent to the bar which they mistook as the smoking area. The cops thought otherwise,” the caption said.

It ended with the popular slogan “Ganito Kami Sa Dabaw!” followed by the hashtag “NoOneIsAboveTheLaw” and “DisiplinaSaDabaw”.

Cabrera is one of the prime-movers of the Musicians and Artists for Duterte (MAD for Change) along with Popong Landero and Peter Lavina.

MAD, which is one of the groups prodding Duterte to heed the growing clamor to run for president, launched its campaign last June 12 at the Matina Town Square (MTS).

The Independence Day jam was held simultaneously with another gig featuring artists from Davao del Sur at the Fire and Ice pub in Digos City.

MTS was full-packed with a highly-partisan crowd that spilled over to every available table at the height of the concert which paraded some of the biggest names in the local entertainment scene.

In between the songs, Lavina gave a briefer on federalism culminating in the call to push for Duterte’s candidacy.

The concert at the Reggae Grill inside the Pryce Business Complex in Bajada was MAD’s second activity and the first in the pub. Reggae Grill will host the second – the third for MAD - on June 19.

Davao’s anti-smoking ordinance is on its 13^th year and is considered the most successful in the country.

A few days earlier, media reported the arrest of a participant to the Philippine Councilors League national gab, just one of the many who have been fined for violating Ordinance No. 0367-12.

Like the other landmark legislations including the previously unthinkable firecracker ban and speed limits, no one is above the law in Davao.

Former Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, a daughter of the mayor, was once booked for exceeding the speed limit.

Duterte’s success in instilling discipline in the country’s biggest city has captured the imagination of a growing number of Filipinos who want him to duplicate this on the national stage.

Others would have resented the booking, but Cabrera does not mind paying the price for violating an ordinance in the middle of a concert asking Duterte to run.

Few people saw the implication but it was a glimpse of what the Philippines will be under a Duterte presidency.

Even with threats, Duterte goes on with visits to Caraga Region

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will travel back to Caraga Region to fulfill two official engagements in eastern Mindanao even as he winds up his nationwide “Listening Tour” to promote federalism.

This in spite of threats to his life made reportedly by drug syndicates who are out to derail his gains as strong contender for president.

The Davao mayor will grace the Caraga Business Conference (Bizcon) on June 16 in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur and he will be at the 55^th Araw ng Surigao del Sur on June 19 in the provincial capital Tandag City.

The mayor started his six-month Listening Tour in Butuan City, the region's capital, on June 22 catapulting him as a serious contender for president in 2016 after placing among the top in recent poll surveys.

The local Bizcon is one of the regional conferences as prelude to the holding of the Mindanao Bizcon on September 2-4 in Dipolog City with the theme “Winning the ASEAN, gaining the global market.”

In Tandag City, Gov. Johnny T. Pimentel wrote Mayor Duterte on June 8 to be the guest of honor and speaker on the province's 55^th founding celebration with the theme “Kalambuan Palig-onon, Maligdong Nga Panggamhanan Ipadayon.” The province was created on June 19, 1960 under Republic Act No. 2786.

Various activities are lined up to mark the milestone including an agro-industrial trade fair, variety shows, government services such as mobile passporting and mobile licensing, among others.