Candidates for local positions in Davao City are now in a frenzy campaigning here and there to get the voters’ support. Council bets in all of Davao City’s three districts are crisscrossing the urban, suburban, rural and upland areas hoping to cover these within the remaining days of the campaign, roughly 36 more days before election time.
Even candidate Karlo Nograles for the position of city mayor, is reported to be personally visiting all of these areas of the city. He is doing this highly personalized approach in campaigning despite the fact that his closest most difficult opponent in former President Rodrigo R. Duterte is not around to campaign for himself. Right now the former Philippine leader and Mayoralty candidate in Davao City is in his lonesome at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Jail in The Hague, Netherlands. FPRRD is facing a serious crime against humanity at the ICC
Unfortunately for Karlo, while Duterte is not personally in the city to campaign, his image effectively portrayed as a politically persecuted person has compensated more than enough for his absence. So even if he is not physically present in the city during the campaign season the seemingly endless solidarity rallies held by his supporters not just in Davao City but also in the entire Philippines and elsewhere in the world, are more than enough to boost his candidacy for mayor even with his absence during campaign meetings and related assemblies.
In fact local candidates for Davao City’s various elective posts are hugely benefited from the outpouring of support to the detained former President. The situation now that the Davaoeno former leader of the country would want to appear as someone languishing in a foreign penitentiary lifts off a burden in the shoulders of his Vice Mayoralty and Council bets, especially the financial aspect.
Yes, the massive show of sympathy by the multitude of Davaoenos could also mean a slowing down of the drain in financial resources of all Council candidates under the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod political group of the detained former President.
Meaning FPRRD’s support by the Davaoeno voters is clearly rubbing in on the chances of the Duterte-backed candidates starting from his Vice Mayor, to his supported Congressional bets, his backed council aspirants, and lastly to his national candidates under the PDP-Laban Party where he is chair.
In other words, the candidates for both local and national positions unknowingly became “free-loaders” and are seemingly lucky beneficiaries of the former’s “blessing in disguise.”
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Indeed a misfortune of one or two, can also trigger what could possibly evolve into a “fortune” to others.
Yes, we mean the misfortune met by former President Duterte – if it could be called as such – has given his constituents some shots at their own fortune.
It was what happened after the controversial arrest of the former President on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). For fear that the Duterte family residences, that of FPRRD’s, his sons Congressman Polong’s house, that of VP Sara’s, and of Mayor Baste Duterte’s abode, rabid supporters of the Dutertes take turns in conducting vigils thereat to thwart any possibilities of the houses or any thereof be raided by law enforcers.
We were told by highly reliable sources that the supporters taking turns doing the vigil of the former President’s and his children’s residences are provided free meals. But among those guarding the mentioned residences, the people who reportedly get a lot of perks are the barangay officials known loyal to the city’s ruling clan.
According to our highly reliable sources, barangay councilors and barangay captains get a P3,500 and P5,000 monthly allowance respectively, if they join those guarding the Duterte abodes.
According to our sources, these amounts are over and above the honoraria the barangay officials receive monthly. The money, our sources told us, is sourced from the pooled funds of the Hugpong.
Therefore, people in Davao City should have no reason to believe that the home-grown political party is drained of resources at this time that its founder former City Mayor Duterte is judicially restrained at The Hague.
But of course we were told that not all barangay officials are making themselves readily available for the vigil at the Duterte residences. Those who are from the remotest of barangays while willing because of the reported financial perks and free meals, feel it is more financially disadvantageous to them. What with the distance and difficulty in traveling to the city proper and back to their home barangays.
Indeed some barangay officials have more luck in their lives.
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