Majority of Dabawenyos believe their Mayor Inday Sara Duterte will run for senator in the 2019 mid-term elections, results of a survey by the University of Mindanao-Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO) showed.
Inday Sara has landed in the winning circle of potential Senate bets in the 2019 polls in surveys by the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia.
Dr. Maria Linda B. Arquiza, assistant vice president for Research and Publication Center of the Davao City-based survey outfit, said that the survey conducted from July 13 to 18 among 1,200 respondents showed that 75 percent see the mayor running for senator.
Twenty-five percent see the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte not running for a national position.
The survey also showed that 84 percent believe the mayor is ready for the national position because of her experience in politics although they also believe that she needs to improve her political machinery.
Only 58 percent of respondents believe that the Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HNP) can catapult her to the national political arena. HNP is a regional party organized by the presidential daughter together with the governos of the Davao Region.
Asked if they will vote for Sara, 97 percent answered positively and three percent in the negative.
If Inday Sara takes a shot at senatorial race, Dabawenyos’ choice for the mayoralty post will be presidential son Paolo Duterte (49 percent); First District Rep Karlo Nograles (38 percent); Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag; Danny Dayanghirang; and Mabel Sunga-Acosta.
The names of youngest presidential son Sebastian Duterte, Inday Sara’s hubby Mans Carpio and presidential daughter-in-law January Duterte also came out in the survey as possible candidates for mayor.
The survey also showed that Dabawenyos will also vote for Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and former Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa, among Dabawenyos seen as potential senatorial bets.