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) 

Survey confirms Mindanao is Duterte's bailiwick!

In the March 1-7 Survey of Pulse Asia, new entrant Mayor Rody Duterte got 34% support in Mindanao. 

Well, here is a clear confirmation of that result. Rody Duterte got 41% in this Quick Poll survey done in Iligan City on April 6, a day before he arrived to be the guest speaker at the MSU-IIT graduation.

He left behind the 10 other "presidentiables" by a mile. The second placer got only 12%.

But, what is truly remarkable is the Wishing to Voting Conversion Rate of Rody Duterte. He got a phenomenal 60.3% rating, almost double the nearest wannabe, and six times the tailender. This means six of every 10 of those wishing him to run would vote for him.

It is therefore no fluke to hear ordinary Mindanaoans predicting that Rody Duterte will win here by a landslide. Mindanao is truly his bailiwick!

The survey says ... it's down and up

The SWS, via Businessworld, has been releasing piecemeal the results of its March 2015 survey. Last Monday, it was about the nosediving performance rating of PNoy. Today, the decline in the satisfaction rating of Binay.

Both downward trends have been widely expected by the people.

Actually, the much-awaited portion of the survey is about the preferences for the 2016 elections. Let's expect it to be released next Monday, if not earlier.

I believe the SWS results would affirm the earlier Pulse Asia poll which saw the spectacular entry of Mayor Rody Duterte into the rating game from 0% in November 2014 to 12% in early March.

A support level of 12-13% for this First Quarter polling would indeed be a great result.

It's clearly down for them, up for us!