Robredo on Sara Duterte leading poll surveys: Why are Filipinos drawn to leadership of this kind?

MANILA, Philippines — Instead of disregarding it, one should attempt to determine why Filipinos choose leadership styles similar to President Duterte.

This was what Vice President Leni Robredo had said, as the name of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte emerged in recent surveys as the leading presidential candidate for the 2022 elections.

“Kailangan natin ‘yun seryosong pag-aralan. Bakit yung karamihan sa mga Pilipino, attracted sa ganitong klaseng pamumuno?” Robredo said during an interview for the GMA News program “The Mangahas Interviews” aired Friday.

(Let’s take this seriously. Why are most Filipinos attracted to leadership types of this kind?)

“Kailangan natin ‘yun harapin. Hindi pwede yung sasabihin natin na ‘Hindi totoo yung survey,’”she added. “Kailangan natin tanggapin na bakit yung impression ng isang tao sa ganitong klaseng leadership, bakit kaya ganun yung naging preference.”

(We need to face this. We cannot ignore this and say “that the survey was not true.” We need to consider the facts on how people choose this, and why they choose this kind of choice.)

In a Pulse Asia survey released in December 2020, results showed that the presidential daughter is the top possible candidate for the next national elections.

READ: Pulse Asia: Sara Duterte tops list of possible 2022 presidential bets

Robredo came in fifth in the poll results, having eight percent of respondents saying they would vote for her.

Meanwhile, Robredo believes that evaluating respondents’ preferences would help determine what kind of leadership the respondents are seeking.

“Kasi makakatulong eh, makakatulong sa pagbibigay ng ibang klaseng leadership na na tutugunan pa din yung kanilang mga saloobin,” she said.

(It would help, it would help in giving the kind of leadership where the people’s sentiments are still being addressed.)

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