AMID the political noise over the arrest of his rival, former president Rodrigo Duterte, former Civil Service Commission (CSC) chief Karlo Nograles vowed to engage in a voter and platform-focused campaign in his bid for the mayoralty seat of Davao City.
Nograles is running against Duterte, who is detained at The Hague for the crimes against humanity case filed by victims of his administration’s brutal drug war before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Protests have been held in the city since the former president’s arrest last March 11, the last of which gathered thousands of supporters on March 28, the elderly Duterte’s 80th birthday.
Nograles said he will focus on explaining to Davaoeños how he intends to improve and “move Davao City forward.”
“This election is about the future of our city, and we believe it is our responsibility to be visible, to be present, and to be accessible to our voters. Especially during these times of confusion and uncertainty, people need to know and understand what is happening and what is going to happen, it should be true, honest and clear,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
The campaign period for local and congressional candidates opened on March 28 and will run until May 10.
Nograles said it is important for candidates for local positions to clearly present their visions and platforms as they reach out to voters during the 45-day campaign period.
“Voters will be at the center of our campaign. We will work to make sure that every Davaoeño knows what we stand for, what our plans are, and how we intend to move Davao City forward,” he said.
Nograles, who is running on a platform of “choice, chance, change,” said he plans to invest more on health and education, provide long-term solutions to flooding and heavy traffic; and digitalize Davao City to improve and hasten the delivery of local government services, entice businesses to invest in the city, and create more jobs for Davaoeños.
Davao City is a bailiwick city of the Duterte family, whose members have been running the city for decades now.
The former chief executive served as city mayor from 1988 to 1998; 2001 to 2010; and 2013 to 2016 before he became president from 2016 to 2022.
The current city mayor is his son, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, who is running for vice mayor in the May 12 polls. Another son, Paolo, is the current district representative, while his daughter Sara is the country’s vice president.
Commission on Elections data show that there are 41,342 candidates vying for local positions, which include district representatives, governors, vice governors, provincial board members, mayors, vice mayors, and councilors.
