Mayor Duterte got 34% Approval Rating for Philippine Presidential race in 2016

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Pic: AP

Southern Philippines Mayor Duterte emerges as presidential prospect

If the presidential elections were to be held solely in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, Davao City’s Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be the runaway winner.

According to the Pulse Asia survey, Duterte will win 34 percent of the Mindanao votes with Vice President Binay coming in second with 22 percent if the elections were held today.

Estrada, who previously lorded the Mindanao votes, was down to 18 percent while Grace Poe has 11.

The Asia Pulse survey was conducted on March 1-7.

Duterte has also inched up in the nationwide presidential survey with 12 percent, good enough for 3rd and 4th – tied with Estrada. That is just after less than 2 months of low-profile exposure using federalism as platform.

It is the first time Duterte figured prominently in a major survey.

Binay’s lead has improved from 26 percent in November 2014– 29 percent.

Poe is 2nd in voting preference with 14 percent.

This is a significant leap for Duterte who only in December was not even in the list of possible presidential candidates for 2016.

The Davao City mayor, who will turn 70 on March 28, however, is lagging far behind in the National Capital Region and the rest of Luzon, with only 7 and 4 percent voting preference respectively.

He was likewise only a distant 4th in Visayas with 9 per cent voter preference.

Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines.

Nobody from Mindanao has ever made it to Malacañang.

The closest was the late Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez who hailed from Misamis Oriental. Pelaez was VP to Ferdinand Marcos from 1961 to 1965.

Duterte is neck and neck with Binay over voter preference among the ABC class, but Binay continues to maintain his grip among D and E voters.

The vice president is likewise still leading the pack in NCR, Luzon and Visayas.

Maverick

Duterte is seen as a political maverick although he is officially a member of the PDP-Laban, a Mindanao-grown political party that is also the former political party of Binay.

The controversial Davao City mayor has been courted by all previous post-Cory Aquino Philippine presidents either as a cabinet member or part of the administration’s senatorial slate. The pistol-packing Duterte however politely declined all overtures saying he is not cut for a national position. Last year, he even threatened to shoot those who are egging him to run for president.

He once berated the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for spiriting out from the hospital an American who was injured in a bomb blast inside his rented hotel room in Davao City.

At the height of national indignation over the execution of Filipina overseas contract worker Flor Contemplacion, he led protesters in Davao City by burning the Singaporean flag.

Duterte likewise threatened to declare a revolutionary government if only to solve corruption in the country.

Listening tour

Early this year, he was prevailed to soften his stand against running for the presidency.

He used federalism as a platform for a nationwide listening tour which he started only this year.

He has been invited in Bicol, Pangasinan, Baguio, Manila, Iloilo and Leyte where he was mobbed by supporters and the media.

While he has not officially declared his intention to seek the presidency, a source said a survey that will land him no lower that fourth and in double digit approval will change his mind.

Mindanaoan in the senate

Meanwhile, at least three other Mindanaoans are prominently figuring in the same Pulse Asia survey.

Former Senator Miguel Zubiri of Bukidnon is ranked 7th in the survey while Pacquiao and incumbent Senator Teofisto Guingona III are battling it out for the 11-17th place.

Guingona is also from Bukidnon while Pacquiao, who is now in the US training for his May 2 fight, is a member of the House of Representative representing the lone district of Sarangani.

Pacquiao is expected to throw his hat into the 2016 senatorial race. - Asian Correspondent

Philippines' Introduce Advanced Safety Reflectorized Vehicle Plate Codes - With Location Identity

New vehicle plates with advanced security features. - Image: Gov.ph

LTO: Time to change old license plates

New motor vehicle plates available 45 days after registration renewal

New license plates with multiple security features, launched by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) last year, will be available to replace old license plates beginning tomorrow, January 5, in line with government’s license plate standardization program.

“It’s time to change old license plates with new ones. Tomorrow, we begin phasing out the 9 various designs currently in use with modern, standardized, and security feature-packed license plates,” Secretary of Transportation Jun Abaya said.

“We advise the public that their new license plates will be ordered upon renewing their motor vehicle registrations beginning this year. The new plates will be available 45 days after ordering them,” added LTO’s chief, Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan Jr.

Since May 2014, the LTO has been issuing new license plates to brand new vehicles that were being registered for the first time. January 2015 marks the start of replacing old or existing license plates with the new ones.

The new license plates for private motor vehicles sport a black-and-white design, similar to those in most countries around the world. They have tamper-resistant locks and screws which permanently attach the plates to the vehicle, preventing their removal and transfer. They also feature reflectorized sheeting to make them visible from afar and from any angle.

The permanent “third plate” windshield sticker replaces the current yearly sticker, and will indicate the vehicle’s license plate number and other relevant registration information. It cannot be peeled off without leaving these pieces of information on the windshield.

“These new plates will help improve road safety by curbing illegal practices such as tanggal-plaka or plate removal and switching, which is prevalent in carnapping and colorum operations. They will help enforcers catch criminals, and enhance safety for the public,” Abaya explained.

“Just to remind those who have old license plates: the new plates will not change your alphanumeric combination. Your existing plate numbers will be retained. Only vehicles registered for the first-time will be issued the new 3-letter 4-number combination,” Tan said.

The entire standardization or replacement program will last until 2017. New plates will cost the same as existing plates, which is P 450.00 for 4-wheeled motor vehicles. Once replaced, the old license plates will no longer be valid for any purpose, but may be kept by their owners. - Gov.ph

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National Defense to face Probe for buying Junked and Garbage worth ₱1.2-billion 21 UH-1 combat helicopters

JV Ejercito wants to probe purchase of ₱1.2-b choppers

SENATOR Joseph Victor Ejercito on Monday filed Senate Resolution No. 128 which seeks to investigate the alleged P1.2-billion chopper deal involving 21 UH-1 combat helicopters purchased by the Department of National Defense (DND).

Ejercito said he wants the Senate to dig deeper on news reports about the "tailor-fitted" procurement of 21 units of  the refurbished Huey helicopters by DND for a "favored bidder."

He added that the quality of the delivered and accepted parts of the purchased helicopters should also be investigated.

Ejercito said the Senate should ascertain if any violations were committed in the procurement law in the purchase of the 21 helicopters.

"We have to look into this deal because ₱1.2-billion worth of choppers that cannot be used and have obsolete parts are disadvantageous to the AFP Modernization Program," said Ejercito, a member of the Senate committee on national defense and security.

Reports had said that the contract was awarded to the Joint Venture of Rice Aircraft Services, Inc and Eagle Copters, Ltd. on December 28, 2013 for a bid price of ₱1.25 billion, which Ejercito said were "non-compliant" with the project contract's Terms of Reference (TOR).

He also noted that the helicopters have limited use due to some defects which he said defeats the purpose of its acquisition.

Aside from the prima facie wastage of taxpayers' money, Ejercito noted that with the alleged defects of the delivered helicopters,  the lives of the country's Air Force men and women, who are the end users, are put at risk.

Citing reports, the senator said only seven of the 21 UH-1D helicopters have been accepted, one is undergoing testing and acceptance, and thirteen are still in various stages of testing and assembly.

He likewise said that despite the delay in the completion of the turn-over of the helicopters and the various violations made by the supplier, which are clearly disparaging and prejudicial to the government, the DND did not terminate the contract.  Up to now, it still allows the supplier to deliver.         

Ejercito added that the government was denied the chance to negotiate the project to qualified suppliers who can deliver the best suited helicopters for the combat missions of the Philippine Air Force.

"The principles of transparency and accountability must always be ensured for what is at stake here is the taxpayers' money," he said. - Manila Standard Today

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