Lack of viable candidates could press Duterte into running for president

DAVAO CITY – Saying that he wanted the people to have a wide choice from among the aspirants in the 2016 polls, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that he might be compelled to throw his hat into the presidential tiff.

“Ngayon medyo kulang pa, pero kung wala na kayong mapili, at the end of the day, tawagin nyo na lang ako (The list is still short. But if you don’t have any other choices, at the end of the day, you can just call me) and let us talk about the presidency,” Duterte said during his regular weekly television program last Sunday.

Duterte had also told his audience that he wanted current Senators Antonio Trillanes and Francis Escudero and former Senator Panfilo Lacson in the roster of prospective candidates “so that the list will be expanded.”

Duterte said he wants people to have a wider choice among presidential aspirants and said if Filipinos have no other left to choose, then he might be compelled to run in the 2016 polls.

And Duterte may have more than just the lack of quality choices as reason to contend for the presidency.

Recent surveys showed Duterte making a strong showing despite being included in the list of probable presidential candidates only two months ago.

And this may have spurred on his supporters to produce television ads, with the theme “Tapang at Malasakit,” recently came out, that has further added fuel to the fire.

The ad had the mayor’s voice-over telling how Davao City had once reeled from being a haven for criminals before it bounced back to become the sixth most peaceful city in the world.

The ad ends with Duterte maintaining that this could also be done for the entire nation.

When asked about the infomercial, Duterte said the ad was produced and paid by some of his Filipino-Chinese businessmen-friends.

“Sabi nila sa akin, pagbigyan mo na kami. It will make you stronger as a political person” the mayor said.

Duterte said these Filipino-Chinese businessmen were already sick and tired of criminality because there many of them have been kidnapped and killed.

He said he was confident that if he runs for president, he will have the support of the Chinese and the Muslims.

Meanwhile, as Duterte continued to assert that he was not running because of the lack of campaign funds, several sectors have started to voluntarily raise funds for his candidacy.

Just last week, the "MAD for Change" was organized in Davao City to raise funds for the mayor.

MAD stands for "Musicians and Artists for Duterte." Barely a week since it was formed, it has received information that the many other musician and artist groups, not only in different regions of Mindanao, but as well as in as Pampanga and Visayas, also organized to help the mayor to raise funds.

When the mayor was in Cotabato City on a “Listening Tour” on Federalism last month, he again cited his health, age and the lack of money as primary reasons why he is not interested in running.