High survey rating no effect on Davao City mayor

High ratings in surveys indicate strong public trust and confidence and winning popularity, but Mayor Sara Duterte is not being pushed to seek reelection only because ego-boosting figures in a local survey.

ALSO READ: DUTERTES VOW DEFEAT OF EX-SPEAKER PROSPERO …

ALSO READ: Karlo has big chance to beat Rody, Sara in 2013 …

    The University of Mindanao Institute of Public Opinion (UM-IPO) in a recent survey on popularity and trust placed the mayor and father Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on top of the heap.
This is not enough to convince me to seek reelection, said Mayor Duterte  who has kept to her heart her future political plans.
While she was thankful for the results showing the Dabawenyos’ confidence in her, the mayor said the IPO figures inspire her to do more for the city.
But Mayor Duterte said she may put off a plan to retire after her first term after her father said he would spend for her if she seeks reelection.
Mayor Duterte bagged the vice mayoral race without a contest in the 2010 elections in her first foray into politics.
She demolished former House Speaker Prospero Nograles in the mayoral contest in 2010, winning with a vote margin of more than 220,000 votes.
Looming in the horizon to push a challenge in 2013 to the Dutertes’ stranglehold on local politics are Nograles and son First District congressman Karlo Nograles.
Sources said Karlo may contest the mayoral post while the ex-Speaker was speculated to attempt to go back to Congress.
Even as the Dutertes have not yet made a decision on who and what position to run for in 2013, their political bloc Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod is prepping up to “politically demolish” the Nograleses in next year’s polls.
“The Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod has a mopping up work to do in the coming 2013 local elections: Erase from the political landscape the highest elected official from the opposition, a report in the Durian Post said earlier.
Object of the marching order of the dominant local political bloc is First District Representative Karlo Nograles, son of former Speaker Prospero Nograles.
Hugpong was founded by former mayor now Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte two elections ago. The bloc is the third political bloc that dominated local politics, headed by Duterte (mayor for 18 years), since his first mayoral term in 1988. Its predecessors were the Lakas ng Dabaw and Alyansa Dabaw.
Hugpong is presently headed by Mayor Sara Duterte. Mayor Duterte beat the former Speaker in the mayoral race by more than 220,000 in the 2010 elections. It was the elder Nograles’ third failed attempt to capture City Hall.
Karlo was among few survivors of the Hugpong onslaught in the 2010, where Hugpong captured 20 of 24 elective positions at stake. Runnng under his father’s Team Nograles, Karlo beat city councilor Mabel Acosta, the Hugpong bet, by only about 8,000 votes in the district known to be Nograles’ stronghold.
My father wants the next representative of the city’s first congressional district to come from Hugpong, Mayor Sara Duterte told media.
The two other congressional posts in the city are held by Hugpong: Isidro Ungab (Third District) and Mylen Garcia (Second District).
A sweep of all elective posts is said to be a long dream of Vice Mayor Duterte.
The 26-member Davao City Council is also dominated by Hugpong with only four non-members: Joanne Bonguyan and Rene Lopez of Team Nograles, and independents Jimmy Dureza and Pilar Braga.
The Hugpong has yet to decide on who to field against Karlo Nograles, but speculations say it could be any of the three Dutertes. Aside from the mayor and vice mayor, there is a third Duterte in local politics: Paolo Duterte, Barangay Captain of Catalunan Grande who sits in the Davao City Council representing the Association of Barangays (Liga ng mga Barangay).

DUTERTES VOW DEFEAT OF EX-SPEAKER PROSPERO NOGRALES SON IN 2013 ELECTION

Hugpong 2013 battlecry:
Get the head of Karlo!

BY ROGER M. BALANZA

    The Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod has a mopping up work to do in the coming 2013 local elections: Erase from the political landscape the highest elected official from the opposition.
Object of the marching order of the dominant local political bloc is First District Representative Karlo Nograles, son of former Speaker Prospero Nograles.

DURIAN POST NO. 100

Hugpong was founded by former mayor now Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte two elections ago. The bloc is the third political bloc that dominated local politics, headed by Duterte (mayor for 18 years), since his first mayoral term in 1988. Its predecessors were the Lakas ng Dabaw and Alyansa Dabaw.
Hugpong is presently headed by Mayor Sara Duterte. Mayor Duterte beat the former Speaker in the mayoral race by more than 220,000 in the 2010 elections. It was the elder Nograles’ third failed attempt to capture City Hall.
Karlo was among few survivors of the Hugpong onslaught in the 2010, where Hugpong captured 20 of 24 elective positions at stake. Runnng under his father’s Team Nograles, Karlo beat city councilor Mabel Acosta, the Hugpong bet, by only about 8,000 votes in the district known to be Nograles’ stronghold.
My father wants the next representative of the city’s first congressional district to come from Hugpong, Mayor Sara Duterte told media.
The two other congressional posts in the city are held by Hugpong: Isidro Ungab (Third District) and Mylen Garcia (Second District).
A sweep of all elective posts is said to be a long dream of Vice Mayor Duterte.
The 26-member Davao City Council is also dominated by Hugpong with only four non-members: Joanne Bonguyan and Rene Lopez of Team Nograles, and independents Jimmy Dureza and Pilar Braga.
The Hugpong has yet to decide on who to field against Karlo Nograles, but speculations say it could be any of the three Dutertes. Aside from the mayor and vice mayor, there is a third Duterte in local politics: Paolo Duterte, Barangay Captain of Catalunan Grande who sits in the Davao City Council representing the Association of Barangays (Liga ng mga Barangay).

 

Is there a need for change?

THEDURIANBEAT

BY ROGER M. BALANZA

 Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in his Sunday program Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa over the weekend talked about politics and the coming 2013 elections.
No wonder. Next year’s polls for the second time would be an automated polling and the Commission on Election needs more time to prepare election paraphernalia.
The filing of Certificates of Candidacy comes earlier in the last two weeks of October this year.
The election fever should also bite earlier the politicians and the poliitical parties.
With filing of candidacy early, there should also be early selection for party bets.
Automated elections, if there is a downside to it, has extended the unofficial period for campaigning to several months, although the official period should be 45 days (for local candidates) up to E-day. This means a candidate should have larger campaign kitty.
But there is an upside to it too. The unofficial extended campaign period gives more time for the candidates to present themselves to the voters. Conversely, voters are given ample time to assess the politicians.
This is supposed to boil down to intelligent voting on E-day.
At this point in time, although the election is more than a year away, politics should already be a matter of public discussion.
For members of the press, it would be no sin to start with its mission to educate voters on intelligent voting, being partners in governance and guiding light for voters in knowing their candidates.
Media people stand up upon demand of their calling as messengers of good and bad news during elections, for people to know their candidates and help them come up with decisions on who should be their next leaders deserving of their trust and confidence.
Along the way, they get labeled as political partisans under pay of some politicians. Along the way, they get praised for telling the truth, in the spirit of free speech in aid of intelligent choice. Along the way, they are charged for libel for telling the truth—or for peddling lies against certain candidates.
Whatever, media people do their job—at the risk of earning praise, being tagged as lapdogs or at worst crucified with a libel rap.
In Davao City, Dabawenyos, like the rest of the Pinoys, would now be starting to assess politicians vying for seats in the coming elections.
There would be those who would challenge the present leadership.
And there would be questions to answer if there is need to or not to achieve an intelligent vote—to retain the present leadership or usher in new leaders.
We take this opportunity to throw in some of these questions to guide voters.
Is there a need to change their leaders? Will the change benefit them?
Is there a need for a change in this city that has become the envy of other cities?
Has the challengers something to add to the excellent peace and order situation?
Has a candidate done anything for the good of the Dabawenyos and their city?
Is the candidate sincere?
At this point in time, we are elated that these questions served as barometers for intelligent voting in the past, the reason why the Dutertes remain as top choice of the Dabawenyos every election day.
These barometers in fact have been reduced to a simple routine.
The Dabawenyos simply look at photos of the Dutertes, and then at the opposition, and pronto, make a sound decision.
But in the coming elections, certain politicians whose hunger and ambition to topple down the Dutertes have been frustrated with never-ending ignominous defeats and their political stock consigned to oblivion, are expected to surface anew to pose a challenge to the present leadership.

These ambitious politicians are political sadists who find hapiness in tormenting themselves with political defeats.

UNIVERSITY OF MINDANAO SURVEY: Sara, Rody trust ratings high at 98.8%

By Kristianne Fusilero

Top city government officials earned high trust ratings based on the recent poll conducted by the Institute of Popular Opinion (IPO).

The survey of IPO, the newly-created institute under the Research and Publication Center of the University of Mindanao (UM), revealed that Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Cong. Karlo Nograles of the First District all have a high popularity rating of 99.4%.

Both the mayor and vice mayor have the same trust rating of 98.8% while Nograles gained 91.3%. The results were presented yesterday by Dr. Maria Linda Arquiza, director of IPO, in the launching of the survey center at the conference room in DPT Bldg., UM Matina Campus.

IPO is an opinion survey center that aims to provide quality survey results and adheres to integrity, professionalism and efficiency in publishing its results. The main focus of the center is to conduct surveys that relates to the popular concerns of the people of Davao.

Guillermo P. Torres Jr., president of UM and chief executive officer of the TIMES, said the launching of the opinion survey center “is a momentous occasion for us considering that not only is this the first institute within UM, it is also, I believe, the first institute of opinion survey ever established in Davao City.”

Torres said the university as a higher educational institution has three traditional functions such as instruction, extension and research. The university, for instance, conducts relevant research to contribute to the improvement of quality of life.

“The role of research in total development cannot be dispensed with because it lies at the center of economic, social, cultural and political advancement. As an academic institution, we know that it is our responsibility to discover, create and advance knowledge,” he added.

The results of the survey in the Second and Third districts will be revealed next week.

The IPO concluded that there is a correlation between popularity and trust among the residents based in the first district.

“The equal trust ratings for the mayor and the vice mayor imply that although the mayor and vice mayor are (on several times) known to differ in their respective stand on policy issues, the people support and trust them as one,” Arquiza said.

She said there seems to be a “reinforcing effect” between the two officials as the supporter of the vice mayor is likely to support the mayor and vice-versa. Mayor Sara is the daughter of Vice Mayor Rodrigo who served as the city’s chief executive for almost two decades.

The results of the survey further revealed that the younger Duterte, for instance, is most trusted among the middle-aged and those on their early 60s. She has also a higher net trust rating among those aged 43 to 49 years old.

“The unemployed have also high trust on the lady executive as she is also considered as champion of the poor being most popular among the low income groups but she strikes a balance with the high income groups as well,” Arquiza added.

The IPO first presented yesterday its survey to about 300 residents based in the first district. The survey was conducted on Feb. 4 to 13 to respondents aged 18 years old and above. The opinion survey employed systematic sampling at 95% confidence interval using face to face interview.

The respondents also gave positive remarks to the councilors of the first district and the city’s department heads.

In the first district, Councilor Pilar Braga topped as the most popular and most trusted lawmaker within the congressional area with a popularity rating of 94.8% and trust rating of 83.5%. She was followed by Councilors Leah Librado and Edgar Ibuyan in terms on popularity.

Out of 15 department heads, Leonardo Avila III, officer in charge of City Agriculturist Office, ranked one in terms on gaining the highest popularity rating of 53.5% and trust rating of 43.9 %. Avila was a former councilor in the first district.

He was followed by City Health Josephine Villafuerte and Maria Luisa Bermudo, head of City Social Services and Development Office, in terms on having the highest popularity and trust rating.

The respondents based in the first district also observed the People’s Park as the most beneficial project of the city government, followed by Central 911.

Can Polong break Nogie’s stranglehold in First District?

EASY TO BEAT. With the political machinery of Nograles in shreds, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod bet Councilor Paolo Duterte could beat without a sweat Team Nograles' Congressman Karlo Nograles, in photo at left with broadcasters Bitoy Villasis and Zaldy Chatto, in the First District congressional race in 2013.

inFRONTPAGE PUBLISHED IN THE DURIAN POST NO. 87,

Nov 28-Dec. 04, 2011

BY ROGER M. BALANZA

If the Karlo-Polong battle for Congress in the First District in the 2013 election materializes, Councilor Paolo “Polong” Duterte, son of Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and brother to Mayor Sara Duterte,  would be facing a formidable foe in incumbent Congressman Karlo Nograles, son of former Speaker Prospero Nograles.
The First District is a known “Nograles country.”
The former Speaker himself was unbeaten in all his congressional run in the district, spoiled only by his first foray into politics when he lost to lawyer Jesus Dureza in 1988. Nograles, who contested results of the election, however cut short Dureza’s term by half after the House of Representative Electoral Tribunal declared him winner half-way through Dureza’s term.
Karlo won the seat in the 2010 polls against councilor Mabel Acosta, the candidate of the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod of the Dutertes.
But political machinery could factor in when the guns start firing, to turn the tide to Polong’s favor.
Nograles suffered his third defeat in his bid to capture City Hall in the 2010 election against Mayor Sara Duterte. He had lost to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the 1992 contest, and in his second bid in 1998 against Benjamin de Guzman, who was supported by then Mayor Duterte.
Out of the power corridor and his poliitical machinery in tatters, Nograles may no longer have the fire power to maintain his hold and make Karlo win his reelection. Karlo beat Acosta in the May polls by only about 8,000 votes despite the Nograleses’ strong hold in the district.
Polong, barangay captain of Catalunan Grande, sits as sectoral representative of the Liga ng mga Barangay in the City Council. His hold over the barangay captains as president of Liga would be a vital factor that could further shatter the Nograles hold over First District.
A Polong-Karlo contest in 2013 surfaced after Mayor Sara dismissed reports she would contest the Nograles son’s post in the next election. The mayor said it is Polong who is interest to battle Karlo, adding she plans to retire from politics after her mayoral term.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

A Karlo fan

    As a big fan of Davao City First District Congressman Karlo Nograles, I am frustrated that the son of former House Speaker

NOGIE & KARLO

Prospero Nograles, also my idol, once, has taken the route of political suicide taken by his father.
This after reading a news report about the young Nograles urging the national government to allow foreigners to engage in agricultural production in the country.
Interpreted simply, this means that Karlo wants foreigners to own land in the country at the expense of the poor farmers.
Before he bowed out of office, Speaker Nograles came short of being crucified by farmers’ groups and the militant sector for his authorship of an idea now being pursued by the son, dubbed as a big sell-out of the country’s patrimony by critics.
The  then Speaker had authored House Resolution No. 737 – which would allow foreign groups to own land in the Philippines.
The bill could lead to heightened agrarian unrest in the countryside as it could lead to the intensification of foreign and corporate land-grabbing, according to critics of the Nograles resolution.
Karlo has a lot to learn about politics and how to get himself endeared to people who matter if he wants to stay in politics. Unless, of course, he is motivated by other ulterior financially-rewarding agenda started by his father that he has to pursue as a member of Congress.
In the local election in May last year, Speaker Nograles lost potent votes in the mayoral race from  farmers and progressive militant groups here because of his resolution.
Karlo, apparently is doing the same right now, by pushing the same idea described as totally anti-farmer and anti-people.
Specifically, he wants the Philippines to enter into agreement with Arab countries on agricultural production in Mindanao, which should of course start with land purchase by the Arab companies.
According to Nograles the partnership could develop some 26,000 hectares of government property in Central Mindanao into a major agri-industrial production and processing complex, with the Arab companies exporting the produce to their countries.
This is precisely the idea of the former Speaker. Foreigners coming in to own lands that could displace farmers. Foreigners making use of our own patrimony for their own benefit at the expense of the farmers.
Former Speaker Nograles was tagged for his resolution on foreigners owning lands in the country as a “traitor” and miserably lost in the Davao City mayoral contest.
That is what is going to happen also to Karlo Nograles if he apes his father.
We suggest he drops his idea at soonest.
We are giving him this piece of advice because we heard he is running for mayor in Davao City in 2013.
In politics, lightning could strike the same spot twice, thrice or even more.
Karlo should avoid this situation by not following on the footstep of his father by toying with the idea of selling lands to foreigners. JOVITA SALVADOR, Bucana, Davao City

EDITORIALpage

PUBLISHED IN THE DURIAN POST NO. 85, Nov 14-20, 2011

Signboard politicians

THEDURIANBEAT

BY ROGER M.BALANZA

    Although the next election is still far away–May 2013–politicians fond of naming government projects and property after them or their relatives better be warned and should take heed of two proposed bills in Congress banning this practice aimed at getting publicity at the expense of public money.
In the House of Representatives, Bayan Muna Representatives Teddy Casino and  Neri Javier Colmenares have authored
House Bill No. 2309  which bans the practice.
“Clearly, it is immoral and unethical for any incumbent official to name government properties, services or programs, financed as these are by taxpayers’ money, after himself /herself or his/her immediate relatives. Such an act indicates that the public official is soliciting fame and glory in order to perpetuate oneself or one’s family in power at the expense of government resources, ” said the Bayan Muna congressmen in their explanatory note.
In the Senate, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has filed a similar bill prohibiting public officials to affix their name or image to any signage on a proposed or ongoing public works project.
In her explanatory note on Senate Bill No. 1967, known as the “Anti-Signage of Public Works Act,” Santiago said that appending the names of officials on public works projects either funded or facilitated through their office is “unnecessary and highly unethical.”
She added that crediting individuals instead of the government on such projects promotes a culture of political patronage and corruption.
Thus, the bill allows only signs and billboards that bear the name, image or logo of the local or national government agency handling the project.
Once the Santiago bill is enacted into law, any official violating the provisions may serve jail time from six months to a year and perpetual disqualification from public office.
The implication is that  if the bill gets passed before the May 2013 elections, it could have tragic impact on the political future of “signboard politicians,” who if found guilty, could be banned for life from joining any electoral exercise or to hold any government position.
Signboard politicians are very imaginative people hungry as in hungry detergents to gain media mileage using government properties.
They emblazon signboards and streamers on government projects with their names, cleverly preceded with the word “Through the initiative of…,”  with premeditated, selfish intention to gain publicity out of projects funded by people’s money.
In Davao City in the 2010 elections where Mayor Sara Duterte trounced then Congressman Prospero Nograles with a vote margin of more than 220,000 votes,  signboards plastered on government vehicles and on public works by the former House Speaker and son, Karlo, then his chief-of-staff and now First District congressman,  was a hot issue.
The blatant abuse came to such a point that in one of the road projects, the name of the congressman was embedded in the middle of the concrete road in letters made of marble.
Seeing immorality in the use of public projects used for political self-aggrandizement, we wrote extensively about it, especially that the local administration frowned on names of local officials being scrawled in signboards of city government projects.
At the time, an anti-corruption group had surfaced in the heat of the electoral campaign to remind candidates about the signboards being a potent evidence in a corruption case against the signboard politicians.
We would like to see an end to politicians who promote themselves on the back of public money by putting their own names and photos on publicly-funded projects, said Alan Davis, a British national who headed the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP), which was funded by the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID).
The Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod of then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, now the vice mayor, was quick to jump on the Davis pronouncement, and said it has photographs, that it would use as evidence in filing corruption charges,  of signboards erected on government projects with Speaker Nograles and son Karlo claiming credit for the projects.
Mr. Davis could be laughing his heart out now that his idea has been picked up by Senator Defensor and representatives Casino and Colmenares and he would no longer be coming over in the next election to remind politicians about their signboard politics.
For those who are reading this piece now, please don’t tell Congressman Karlo Nograles about the bills on the signboard politicians.
We and our photographer have been going the rounds of the city’s First District to shoot photos of the signboards on government projects with the congressman’s name.
If the Santiago bill gets passed before the May 2013 election, paktay kang bata ka!

EDITORIALPAGE

PUBLISHED IN THE DURIAN POST NO. 85, Nov 14-20, 2011

DAVAO CITY ELECTION RESULTS

97% CANVASSED

MAYOR

Sara Duterte                380,258

Prospero Nograles    157,615                          222,643 – margin

VICE MAYOR

Rodrigo Duterte        431,244

Ben de Guzman         103,963                          327,281 – margin

CONGRESSMEN

First District

Karlo Nograles 98,929

Mabel Acosta 90,750

Second District

Mylene Garcia 60,299

Diosdado Mahipus 42,116

Joji Ilang Bian 41,163

Danilo Dayanghirang 33,115

Third Disrict

Isidro Ungab 61,927

Ruy Elias Lopez 41,888

Wilberto Al-ag 21,489

CITY COUNCILORS

First District

1. Wendel Avisado

2. Leah Librado

3. Immanuel Galicia

4. Edgar Ibuyan

5. Melchor Quitain

6. Small Abellera

7. Joan Bonguyan

8. Pilar Braga

Second District

1. Luoie John Bonguyan

2. Dante Apostol

3. Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling

4. Tomas Monteverde

5. Al Ryan Alejandre

6. Marissa Salvador Abella

7. Jimmy Dureza

8. Marie Dayap

Third District

1. Karlo Bello

2. Rachel Zozobrado

3. Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz

4. Bernie Al-ag

5. Louie Villafuerte

6. Rene Lopez

7. Conrado Baluran

8. Victorio Advincula Jr.

Davao City election results —-Speaker Nograles not conceding—-yet

QUIBOLOY: Repent and concede!

ERAP: Huwag concede Boy! 200,000 lang yan. Kayangkaya pa.

MANNY: Tama yan Boy. Para me kasama kami nni Erap

RODY: Concede?

NOGIE: Waka kuyapi?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

GOODBYE, Nogie!!!!

SPEAKER PROSPERO NOGRALES CLOBBERED IN DAVAO CITY MAYORAL ELECTIONS; VICE MAYOR SARA DUTERTE TO WIN RACE BY 200,000 VOTES

Davao City broadcaster Jun Bersamin, in  his unofficial photo, of  ABS/CBN DXAB radio.

LATEST UNOFFICIAL COUNT OF RESULT OF MAYORAL RACE IN DAVAO CITY: VICE MAYOR SARA DUTERTE 8 VOTES FOR EVERY TEN WITH SPEAKER NOGRALES GETTING 2.

WITH THE RESULT SARA DUTERTE COULD END THE RACE WITH 200,000 VOTE MARGIN VS. NOGRALES.

IN THE VICE MAYORAL RACE, MAYOR RODRIGO DUTERTE IS SCOOPING 90 % OF VOTES, WITH OPPONENT BENJAMIN DE GUZMAN……………………………?

IN THE FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL RACE, KARLA NOGRALES AND MABEL ACOSTA STILL IN A NECK-TO-NECK FIGHT WITH ACOSTA WITH A  SLIGHT EDGE.

Maximo “Dodong” Solis, in his unofficial photo, manager of Davao City RMN DXDC.

QUO VADIS, BOY AND KARLO NOGRALES?