THE presidential election, scheduled for May 2022, is shaping up to be a greater challenge for the Duterte family.
A recent poll shows a gradual
drop in support for the outgoing president, Rodrigo Duterte, who is running
second among candidates for the vice presidency. Under the constitution, he
cannot stand for a second term as president.
His 43-year-old daughter,
Sara Carpio, is doing much better, topping the polls despite not having
announced her candidacy for the presidency. However, her lead is narrowing.
Carpio, the current mayor of
Davao, recently said that she wanted to seek a new mandate as her city’s first
citizen rather than run for president.
Officially, the campaign for
the highest office started on October 1 after candidates registered to run.
Popular boxing champion Manny
Pacquiao also announced his retirement from the ring to devote himself only to
politics.
He is not alone. Other
potential candidates are considering taking a plunge. Meanwhile, they are
cutting into Carpio's lead. The Pulse Asia survey of 2,400 people, held earlier
this month, found her support dropping from 28 per cent to 20 per cent.
By contrast, Pacquiao, 42, is
gaining momentum, going from 8 per cent to 12 per cent. The son of the late
dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Bongbong Marcos Jr, is pulling 15 per cent; he too has
not yet said if he is running. Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso follows with 13
per cent.
The vice presidency is
largely ceremonial role, but it would protect Duterte from the courts over the
thousands of extra-judicial killings perpetrated during his brutal war on
drugs.
Senate speaker Vicente Sotto
is challenging Duterte for the second highest office in the land with his
support jumping from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, ahead of Duterte who is at 14
per cent, down by four points compared to the previous poll.
Meanwhile, Church
organisations have entered the political fray by launching a campaign for a
“clean, accurate, responsible and transparent” vote.
They are part of Halalang
Marangal 2022, a coalition of over 20 Church and civic groups campaigning for a
fair election, starting with voters’ registration, a process that has
encountered several problems in recent weeks.
To this end, Bishop Collin
Bagaforo, president of Caritas Philippines, is among those calling on the
faithful to join the coalition.
In his view, voters must be
better informed and familiarise themselves with the electoral process so that
Filipinos can regain trust in their elections and the institutions that
represent them.
“We have this special
responsibility in times of serious moral, economic, health, food security,
livelihood and leadership crises,” the prelate said. (AsiaNews)
