Game changer?

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 23 Nov 2015 by Romeo Bernardo
After hemming and hawing for months, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte finally announced over the weekend that he will run for the presidency. Surprisingly, he cited the favorable ruling of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) on the issue of Senator Grace Poe's citizenship as the reason for his decision. The SET last Tuesday rendered a 5-4 verdict affirming the senator's "natural born" citizenship status which allowed her to retain her senate seat. Interestingly, the legal luminaries of the SET, three Supreme Court justices, all ruled against Senator Poe, leading analysts to argue that the result was more political than legal. Mayor Duterte, a lawyer, appears to side with the opinion of the justices. In announcing his decision to run, he said that the presidency "must be reserved for a true-blue Filipino". Noting the other similar cases against the senator's eligibility for the presidency, the mayor added that it would be "tragic" if the senator won only for the Supreme Court to eventually declare her ineligible for the office. Many see Mayor Duterte's entry as a game changer. His success in turning around the city of Davao in Mindanao from a place of lawlessness to one of the world’s safest cities has captured the imagination of Filipinos desiring more peace and security. His straight talking style also appeals to those averse to traditional politicians' doublespeak, and he has said that he will fight crime and corruption and will move for a federal form of government. Nonetheless, the mayor has yet to file his certificate of candidacy with the Commission of Elections (Comelec). This will have to be done through substitution before December 10 by his party of a nominee, a village...

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