- Political analyst says mayor’s ‘true believers’ will continue supporting him in face of backlash
- He doubts whether Duterte’s remarks will affect his national standing
- He points out Duterte’s brand of leadership still a huge draw to the public
MANILA, Philippines – Despite withering criticism from several sectors and his rivals over his controversial rape remarks, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential run is not likely to grind to a halt anytime soon.
According to University of the Philippines (UP) political science professor Aries Arugay, whatever backlash Duterte faces will be buffered by his ‘true believers’ who’ll continue to support him through thick and thin.
“I do think that this is something serious and should be addressed but at the same time whether it will impact the elections, I highly doubt it because if you take a look at the strength of support for Duterte, you could see that he really has a constituency,” ABS-CBN quoted him as saying.
Arugay added Duterte’s mistake could also prove to be a boon to him as it will show that he’s just as human as his followers.
“He’s not a polished candidate and he’s just revealing his humanity and all and even the not so good, the very bad side of humanity that is common to all politicians,” he said.
While admitting that Duterte’s remarks could be turned into a major issue, Arugay said the mayor’s accomplishments and brand of leadership coupled with the perceived failures of the current administration still make him a huge draw for voters.
“There’s an increasing dissatisfaction about the lack of governance, the lack of decisive leadership and when you have a candidate that says I am here to provide leadership, even if the details are still circumspect, we could see that people cling to that, people might not look into the flaws and all but see that this is a leader that we could hope for,” he said.
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