Candidates backed by Rodrigo Duterte may win 10 out of the 12 seats up for grabs
serves up President Rodrigo Duterte’s favourite dish in a small eatery in the southern city of Davao. Tapa—crunchy, floss-like beef—arrives alongside tangy stew and fluffy rice. The place is a shrine to her favourite customer and his family. An early political poster showing the now-grizzled strongman with a fresh face adorns one wall, a picture of his daughter and successor as Davao’s mayor, Sara Duterte-Carpio, another.
Mr Duterte’s popularity seems likely to boost candidates associated with him. Filipinos like his authoritarian approach to crime and the economy is generally well managed. Last year growth exceeded 6%. Infrastructure spending has increased and poverty rates have gone down. His outrageous talk , his absurd bluster and his attacks on the Catholic church only seem to add to his popularity.
A smattering of opposition candidates are pushing back with a multiparty slate called the Otso Diretso . Their allies are few and far between. When they all appeared at a recent rally in Cebu city, the country’s second-largest metropolis, local officials shunned them. Grace Poe, a senator who is not in the group, is among the most popular candidates seeking re-election. But having lost to Mr Duterte in the presidential election, she is careful not to be too critical.
The opposition’s weakness does indeed flow from the political system. Personalities matter far more than policies or parties. Politicians flit between parties according to the political mood. The expense of running for office is another factor. Candidates for senator run nationwide, just like presidential ones. A credible campaign costs roughly 100m pesos , a political analyst estimates. No one wants to spend so much money simply to twiddle their thumbs in opposition.
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