Actress pushes Isko-Sara tandem
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (FILE PHOTOS)
MANILA, Philippines — The supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte launched on Wednesday a coalition pairing Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso with Mr. Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, as an unofficial ticket in the May elections.
Although Domagoso’s camp swiftly denied any participation in the creation of “ISAng Pilipinas: Koalisyon para sa matatag na Pilipinas,” they welcomed “all support from different political parties, groups and volunteer organizations for Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso.”
The group led by actress Vivian Velez, who identified herself among the so-called Duterte Diehard Supporters or DDS, said the campaign hoped to convince voters to pick the two youngest candidates belonging to different parties as their next leaders.
Domagoso is the Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer whose running mate is the medical doctor-video blogger Willie Ong while the younger Duterte, who chairs Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, has partnered with former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During Wednesday’s launch of ISAng Pilipinas in San Juan City, Velez, also director-general of the Film Academy of the Philippines, clarified that the coalition did not have the blessing of either camp.
“This is a supporters’ initiative. We didn’t ask for Isko’s permission and we didn’t ask for Sara’s permission. It’s our choice to pick who we want. With due respect with their tandem, we all know it’s a political choice … As supporters, we have freedom of choice and we have to take advantage of that,” Velez said in Filipino.
“There’s two months left … We’ve seen the landscape, and it’s not good. We also know surveys can be paid. There is a huge silent majority, and we’re asking them to come out,” she added.
Philip Piccio, national convenor of the Domagoso volunteer group Ikaw Muna Pilipinas, said he had personally informed Ong of his plan to support the Domagoso-Duterte ticket.
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