PDP-Laban faction downplays survey results on "unconstitutional" VP bid of Duterte
A faction of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) on Tuesday, Sept. 28 downplayed the survey that showed majority of the Filipinos believe that President Duterte’s bid for the vice presidency in the May 2022 national elections is unconstitutional.
“We have seen the SWS survey and we feel that the questions are incomplete. The survey only asked the respondents if they view President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to run for Vice President as unconstitutional,” said Melvin Matibag, secretary general of the rival PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Matibag said the survey should have asked respondents if they would vote for Duterte if the Constitution allows him to run for vice president in order “to get a more accurate sentiment of our people.”
“It bears noting that two past Presidents, namely former President Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, were allowed to run for other public office after their respective terms as Chief Executive and they won,” Matibag pointed out.
Nevertheless, he said, they were also encouraged by the same survey as there is a 40 percent base of respondents who are satisfied with the President’s performance and want a continuity of his programs.
“And this is a strong base in a multi-party election setting,” he stressed.
“As to the 60%, if you notice are in varying levels and tied to the satisfaction/ trust of the administration. As we view it, with proper messaging we can still convert these numbers in our favor,” he emphasized.
“We are mindful of the opinion of the general public but this particular survey is just a snapshot of the public sentiment in a particular time. Ultimately, the question of Constitutionality rests with the Supreme Court,” he said.
In its latest survey released Monday, the Social Weather Station (SWS) released a study showing that three out of five Filipinos, or 60 percent believe that the proposal for Duterte to run in next year’s polls “violates the intention of the Constitution, which should first be amended before he may run for office again.”
The highest number of respondents who believe Duterte’s candidacy will violate the constitution come from Luzon, followed by those in the Visayas, Metro Manila and Mindanao. The SWS survey also said majorities in all educational levels also share the same view.
Duterte had earlier announced and accepted his nomination to be the PDP-Laban’s vice presidential candidate.
Critics believe Duterte is gunning for the vice presidency to avoid facing legal cases related to the extrajudicial killings that occurred under his drug war campaign.