BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Supporters of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in Negros Occidental are still hopeful that the lady mayor will eventually decide to run for president in the May 2022 elections, after she topped again a survey for the presidential bets.
Despite her announcement that she would no longer seek the presidency, Duterte-Carpio emerged as the most preferred presidential candidate among Filipinos for next year’s national elections, a Pulse Asia survey released Wednesday showed.
Duterte-Carpio led the list of 12 probable presidential candidates with 20 percent, followed by senator Bongbong Marcos–the namesake son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos–with 15 percent, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso with 13 percent, and Sen. Manny Pacquiao at 12 percent.
Retired P/Col. William Señoron, convenor of the Negros Occidental-based “Padayona Inday Sara” Movement remains optimistic that Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will heed the overwhelming call from her supporters to push for her candidacy.
“There is no finality yet. There is still no closure because there is still time for her to consider running for president,” Señoron said.
He added that not only the “Padayona Inday Sara”, but many other groups as well continue to appeal for the younger Duterte to run as they believe she is best qualified to succeed her father, President Rodrigo Duterte.
Last week, the President’s daughter announced that she is not running for a national position as she and her father agreed that only one from the Duterte family will run for a post in the national level.
In Negros Occidental, the “Padayona Inday Sara” Movement, which is composed of various sectoral groups, has been conducting community service activities such as medical mission, feeding program, and tree-planting to convince the incumbent Davao City Mayor to run for president.
More than a dozen of local chief executives in Negros Occidental have publicly declared their support to Mayor Duterte-Carpio.
The Commission on Elections has set the filing of certificates of candidacy for all elective positions for the May 9, 2022 national and local elections from October 1 to 8, 2021.*
