Former Senator Bongbong Marcos in Sultan Kudarat. Image from Bongbong Marcos Facebook page
CARMEN, Davao del Norte — Nearly a month before the national elections, the tandem of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio brought their campaign down south to Davao Region — home to more than 3.2 million voters.
The tandem is set to visit three provinces in the region on Wednesday—Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao del Sur.
Notably, the tandem will not visit Davao City, a known bailiwick of the Duterte clan which has held the top post in the city for over a decade now.
According to Duterte-Carpio, she refused to hold a rally for her tandem in her city and instead urged residents to attend the campaign rallies in other parts of the Davao Region. Duterte-Carpio currently serves as the mayor of Davao City.
“Sa Davao City, nag-refuse na ko na mag-rally ang UniTeam,” Duterte-Carpio said in her online program “Special Hour” last week.
To recall, Duterte-Carpio earlier banned political caravans and motorcades in her city, saying it was meant “to protect the interests” of her constituents. She also cited the increasing price of fuel.
The case of Davao Region
The tandem’s first stop is Davao del Norte, a province led by Governor Edwin Juhabib, the secretary general of Partido Reporma that once backed the presidential bid of Senator Panfilo Lacson.
However, Lacson resigned from the party, saying Partido Reporma president former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez told him that their Davao del Norte slate, which is led by Jubahib, has decided to endorse another presidential candidate.
Just hours after Lacson announced his resignation, Alvarez and Juhabib welcomed presidential candidate Leni Robredo in Tagum City in Davao del Norte and endorsed her presidential bid.
The tandem’s next stop is Davao de Oro, led by Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy who has endorsed Marcos and Duterte-Carpio. Uy is also a member of Hugpong ng Pagbabago where Duterte-Carpio serves as chairman.
Afterwards, another rally is set to happen in Digos City in Davao Del Sur, whose Governor, Marc Douglas Cagas, has yet to publicly endorse a national candidate.
In 2019, Cagas ran for the gubernatorial post under the Nacionalista Party, which on Wednesday, endorsed the Marcos-Duterte tandem.