Duterte’s ‘final’ pronouncement may not be that final—pols

Senator Chiz Escudero, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Koko Pimentel. FILE PHOTOS

COTABATO CITY — Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who has been pushing for Senator Grace Poe’s presidency, said he doubts Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that he is not going to run in the 2016 presidential race.

Escudero told reporters here on Friday that while Duterte had said he was not interested to run after he had consulted with his family, the possibility that the Davao City mayor would throw his hat into the ring remains high.

READ: Duterte’s final answer: I won’t run for president

He said he did not see Duterte being “totally out of the race,” until it was the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy (CoC).

“He (Duterte) has said he would not be running; but it’s still a long way to go before the deadline of the filing of CoC),” he added.

As of now, Escudero admitted he can’t see the possibility that Duterte would change his mind.

“But in my experience in politics, decisions pertaining to elections often change up to the last minute,” he said.

Escudero admitted that Duterte could prove to be a formidable third force in the presidential elections should he decide to run.

He said aside from Duterte, Poe could also become a strong contender to become the third force.

“The strongest contender for a ‘third force’ would either be Duterte or Poe, because one is the administration candidate and the other the opposition bet,” Escudero said, referring to administration bet Mar Roxas and the leading contender from the opposition, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Duterte was continuously being wooed by the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan to become its standard bearer.

Both he and Poe figured well in surveys conducted by both the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia.

Escudero said while Duterte could be a possible third force, he was sticking it out with Poe – who also has not made her mind about running for higher office – and that he would not be supporting any political party should she decide not to run for a higher post.

Duterte’s spokesperson, former Davao City councilor Peter Laviña, confirmed that “the mayor loves to confuse the enemy.”

READ: Duterte’s actions contradict his words—analyst

“He holds his cards close to his chest. He doesn’t want anyone to read them. It’s just a strategy to confuse the enemy,” Laviña said.

Like many people hopeful that Duterte would eventually change his mind, Laviña cited his past experience with the mayor – whom he said, had never declared his intention in any election he had participated in.

Even when he ran for mayor during the last elections, Duterte never made any announcement, he said.

“He removes himself from the equation,” he said.

Stopping short of saying Duterte would indeed run in the presidential elections, Laviña said whatever the mayor’s real intention was, “he wants to send one clear message and that is the presidency should be about change and not about political interests of certain personalities.”

He urged Duterte’s supporters to wait until the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy on October 16 before they support other presidential wannabes.

But wouldn’t he be lying if he did file?

Laviña said Duterte never said he was running in the first place.

“He was never urong-sulong (indecisive). He had been consistent about not running from the start,” he added.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, an ally of Roxas’, also aired the same opinion.

“Let’s wait for the filing because Duterte still moves around despite the announcement. Is he being smart and clever? Is he teasing? I don’t know yet,” Mendoza earlier said.

For Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, Duterte’s supporters could wait until the last minute allowed for parties to make substitutions was over.

“This is what I want to tell you, October 16 actually is not the final deadline because the rules of the Comelec allow the substitution by a political party of the candidates up to sometime in December….there’s an initial deadline but that’s not actually the absolute deadline to decide,” he told Manila reporters on Thursday.

Duterte’s politicial adviser, former National Food Authority chief Lito Banayo admitted that Duterte was a “very unconventional” possible candidate to handle.

But Banayo said Duterte had changed his mind in the past on major political decisions when confronted with public clamor. Nash Maulana and Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao/IDL