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)
We will just subscribe to his advocacy and push the Federalism for of govt. if finally he will not run.Not only the activist in Manila who will decide the fate of the nation because 101million pilipino to decide not only the 1 million leftist from edsa to change the Leader of this country, We warn to those who love to go the streets because we don't allow anymore that they will just the one to decide the faith of this country.
ReplyDeleteHe is a tactician and a very good one I must say. He say that he will run if it becomes a Moral Obligation on one of his recent interview, that I would say is an open ended statement. It is every Filipino's moral obligation to lead our country to greatness so basing on what he said I strongly believe that he will declare his candidacy on the filling date.
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