MANILA, Philippines — John Castriciones — senatorial candidate and former agrarian reform secretary — and his nationwide volunteer group supporting the Duterte administration have thrown their weight behind Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer.
The Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Council was in the news earlier in the coronavirus pandemic for a mass gathering it held calling for the establishment of a revolutionary government under Duterte.
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“We manifest our strong support for the candidacy of Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso," Castriciones said at Moreno's proclamation rally Tuesday night, claiming the Manila mayor was the only candidate with a plan to improve the agricultural sector in the Philippines.
It is unclear if the pro-Duterte group plans to change its name considering Duterte's own daughter is the running mate of another presidential candidate in Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Castriciones is a candidate under one wing of the administration PDP-Laban, which initially fielded Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa as its presidential bet. A string of withdrawals and substitutions has seen the ruling party with no presidential bet of its own and its senatorial candidates on different slates.
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Will the backing of the Duterte supporters affect the chances of Moreno, also a mayor-turned-presidential candidate, in any way? Political analyst Dindo Manhit is not so convinced.
"At the end of the day, if people see that the Duterte name is attached to Bongbong Marcos, which is what's happening now, do you think it matters if members of the Cabinet [back him?]" he told Philstar.com in an interview.
"What happened with Isko was he wanted a piece of the supporters of President Duterte...sadly it was a mis-analysis. Not one went to him [because] the Marcos followers and the Duterte followers consolidated."
Manhit said that President Duterte's political capital is still ultimately with his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, pointing to Duterte's lack of a formal endorsement for a presidential contender thus far. This means, he said, that many Duterte supporters have been funneled to the Marcos camp.
"That's the problem. They think they represent the Duterte supporters [but] President Duterte is with Sara Duterte in this campaign, and Sara Duterte is with Marcos," he said.
"Marcos cannot be made accountable for the failures of the Duterte government, but you have the daughter coming out strong for Marcos. If the daughter were to separate from the campaign, that's a different story."
Though the two share similarities as presidential candidates, Moreno's relationship with Duterte has been up-and-down. After a brief period of tension between the two, Moreno has said he would welcome Duterte — who was briefly an aspirant for senator — into his Senate slate with open arms. He has also said he would refuse to turn Duterte over to the International Criminal Court.
Supporting politicians tout Moreno's 'replicable' achievements
Apart from Castriciones, government officials who have expressed support for Moreno include Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Quezon City Councilor Irene Belmonte, Rep. Toto Mangudadatu (Maguindanao), and Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño.
In a taped video message Tuesday night, Recto said that Moreno was the only candidate with a track record of putting up field hospitals, vaccination, free testing, and housing projects in Manila.
"I believe that in choosing our leader, there is a more important basis: putting the country first before your cohorts, having a platform and not drama, a track record and not a list of promises," he said in Filipino.
Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano, who is the younger brother of Duterte’s former running mate Alan Peter Cayetano, pointed to his experience debating with Moreno at the meetings of the Metro Manila Council.
"Many candidates are good at planning and I believe they all have good plans for the country...but we need someone who can do the work. Moreno has shown he can do the work," he said in Filipino.
Is a full replication of Moreno's projects in the capital city actually possible on a national scale? Political Science professor Jean Franco of the University of the Philippines said she wasn’t convinced, pointing to the past six years under the former Davao City mayor.
"In an emergency, you see the weaknesses of a mayor because they don’t know the bureaucracy or global problems...You cannot really replicate [because] the dynamics of the national level are different," she told Philstar.com in a phone call earlier Tuesday evening.