Deadline looms in Philippine elections: Pacquaio to succeed Duterte?

WHO WILL SUCCEED DUTERTE? In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte (PDP Laban party) won a five-way race by a landslide as voters rooted for the major themes of his campaign: solve drug menace and curb corruption in "3 to 6 months". The ruling Liberal Party (LP) was almost decimated. It failed to win fresh seats in the Senate, though LP's vice presidential candidate won by a slim margin. Today, an on-going Senate probe involving an 8-billion-peso ($170 million) alleged swindle of taxpayers' money to purchase substandard COVID personal protective gear has drawn Duterte's ire. It highlights the system of checks-and-balances at work in the Philippines, and could swing the outcome of the May 2022 vote.

LIKELY CONTENDERS: They're the most possible contenders in the May 9, 2022 Philippine presidential vote. Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, Senator-boxer Emmanuel "Pac-Man" Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Franciso "Isko" Moreno Domagoso had already declared their intent to join the race. Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, Davao Mayor Sara "Inday" Duterte and Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo are also widely expected to join the fray. Another possible presidential contender, former Senator Antonio Trillanes III, has stated his decision is contigent on VP Robredo deciding not to run. October 8, 2021 is the final day for filing certificates of candidacy.

YOUNG VOTERS TO DECIDE: Millennials and young Filipinos under the age of 40 could be the biggest deciding factor or "swing vote" in the upcoming polls, according to political pundits. Out of a population of about 109 million, there are 63 million registered voters. Photo shows young Filipinos working for a business process outsourcing (BPO) company, a growing industry valued at $26 billion in 2019.

4 MILLION+ FIRST-TIME VOTERS: Up to 52% of voters belong to 18-40 years-old age group, according to the latest data from Commission on Elections (Comelec). Meanwhile, the initial projection of 4 million new registrants and eligible first-time voters for the May 9, 2022 ballot had been surpassed. The 2022 elections will also be seen as an appraisal for Duterte's handling of the pandemic. File photo shows young Filipinos forming a queue outside a newly reopened historical site, in Manila, Philippines, February 18, 2021.

SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO, 43: Presidential daughter Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, 43, has topped opinion polls. Commonly known as Inday Sara, is a lawyer, politician and the incumbent Mayor of Davao City. She previosly served as Davao city mayor from June 30, 2010, until June 30, 2013, and was replaced her father as Davao mayor from 2016 until 2016. President Rodrigo Duterte, 76, won seven terms and served as mayor of Davao for over 22 years, before being elected president in 2016. Sara has yet to declare her candidacy, insisting she would do so only if her father won't contest the vice presidential race. https://gn24.ae/ab1f018f6315000

SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO, 43: Presidential daughter Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, 43, has topped opinion polls. The lawyer-politician, commonly known as Inday Sara, is the incumbent Mayor of Davao City. She previously served as Davao city mayor from June 30, 2010, until June 30, 2013, and was replaced by her father from 2013 until 2016. President Rodrigo Duterte, 76, won seven terms and served as mayor of Davao for over 22 years, before being elected president in 2016. Sara has yet to declare her candidacy, insisting she would do so only if her father won't contest the vice presidential race. https://gn24.ae/ab1f018f6315000

EMMANUEL 'MANNY/PAC-MAN' PAQUIAO, 42: On September 19, 2021, the iconic boxing champ declared he will join the 2022 presidential race, ending months of speculation about whether the legendary fighter would seek the country's top job.

WHAT PACQUIAO SAID: Much of Pacquiao's time as a senator was spent supporting the regime of president Rodrigo Duterte, until a falling out between the two parties, over Pacquiao's allegations of corruption and differences over dealings with China. Duterte, in turn, had publicly accused Pacquiao of tax evasion. "I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring," said Pacquiao. "I believe that I was destined to serve as an inspiration for the average Filipino to fight, to rise above adversity, to conquer and defy, and to embrace life and all its difficulties."

PANFILO "PING" LACSON SR., 73: Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. is a former police general currently serving as a Senator since 2016 (and previously from 2001 to 2013). On September 8, Lacson launched his presidential campaign declaring Senate President Vicente Sotto III as his running mate. They were the first tandem to declare intent to join the 2022 race.

WHAT LACSON SAID: In launching his campaign, Lacson said: "We need a leader who will fight for what is right and will fight what is wrong. Hence, the first of our priorities is a stronger response to the pandemic. We have to fill the gaps and correct the wrongdoing. We need strict discipline in the management of public coffers. There will no longer be swindlers and exploiters, whether close friends or strangers. There should be only one standard for everyone to follow and enforce. There are no sacred cows among those who will profit from the government.”

FRANCISCO "ISKO" MORENO DOMAGOSO, 46: His rise close to the pinnacle of Philippine politics is a fascinating rags-to-riches tale. Opinion polls show him enjoying wide popularity among potential voters, second only to Sara Duterte. Moreno is currently serving as the 22nd mayor of Manila (since 2019). He was born and raised in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and spent his childhood supporting his family by scavenging for food and junk to get by. On Wednesday, as he declared his run for the presidency, Moreno said he is not shutting his doors adding he will try to convince others, like Vice President Leni Robredo, to join him as a single united force in the upcoming 2022 polls.

WHAT ISKO SAID: As a boy growing up poor in Tondo, one of Manila's filthy "squatter" colonies, Moreno scrounged for food. The social media-savvy Manila mayor has become wildly popular. His pandemic response, organised and with clear messaging, alongside his digital and food aid for the poor residents, had been lauded by many. Moreno promotes himself as "a healing president" (he picked a social-media savvy doctor, Willie Ong, as his vice presidential running mate). During his campaign launch, Moreno took a swipe at Duterte's often foul-mouthed pronouncements: "My life is an open book. Yes, I grew up being poor. But I have never been bad-mannered. Although I've lived in the trash, not once did I become foul-mouthed."

FERDINAND "BONGBONG" MARCO JR, 64: The only son of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr nearly won the vice presidential race in 2016. He is widely expected to join the presidential race. He was endorsed by KBL (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, the party founded by his father) as their standard bearer. But Marcos has yet to make a formal declaration. In interviews, he denies the existence of his family’s “ill-gotten wealth” as well as the plunder, corruption, and human rights violations that occurred during his father’s 21-year rule.

WHAT BONGBONG MARCOS SAID: “I'm the son of the longest-lasting president who brought the Philippines into the modern world,” Bongbong declared in a recent interview. Photo shows Bongbong Marcos with his sister Imee, who won a Senate seat in 2016. The Marcoses alleged they were cheated in the 2016 vice presidential race in 2016, which was won by Maria Leonor 'Leni' Robredro, a former Congresswoman and the Liberal Party candidate. A recount in 3 areas picked by the Marcos camp added even more votes for Robredo, which prompted the electoral tribunal to rubbish the Marcos protest. Numerous Philippine Supreme Court rulings have declared that Marcoses had ill-gotten wealth. Bongbong has not decided on a presidential run, and recently said he's in talks with groups to finalise his 2022 moves. Philippine media have widely reported that Bongbong and Imee were beneficiaries of illegal Swiss foundations.

MARIA LEONOR 'LENI' ROBREDO, 56: With just 10 days to go before the deadline, Robredo hasn't declared. As a young student of economics, she joined protests against the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The 14th and incumbent vice president is today known for her pro-poor advocacies and street-level initiatives to fight the pandemic and encourage vaccinations. One of her daughters, a newly-licensed medical doctor, is helping fight COVID in the frontlines. Robredo, however, is viewed by many as a Left-winger LP front espousing austere economic policies, giving kid-glove treatment to criminals. Her "yellow" (Tagalog: "Dilaw") party is also villified for allegedly coddling communists, identifying with land-to-the-tiller agenda, curbing bureaucratic theft and equitable distribution of the country's resources.

WHAT ROBREDO SAID: She's been spearheading coalition-building efforts with other parties to form a wall against a re-election bid by the Duterte camp. Recently, she said she was still in “deep discernment” and had asked for "prayers" from her supporters. Her primary consideration is to ensure that the kind of governance under Duterte would end in 2022. “The overriding imperative right now," she said, "is to reverse the trajectory of governance of the country. To end the brand of governance that is anti-democratic, anti-rights, corrupt, and self-serving, which is at the root of suffering and death of many Filipinos."

OCTOBER 8, 2021 DEADLINE LOOMS: Filing of the certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections is set on October 1 to 8, 2021. Elections are organised, run, and adjudicated by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).