TAGUM CITY — The camp of Presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte has welcomed the endorsement of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), saying it is a significant gain to boost the presidential campaign of the Davao City mayor and at the same time to “thwart attempts by the administration to cheat the elections.”
“This endorsement shows that Duterte’s advocacy for Tunay Na Pagbabago [real change ] has resonated to almost all our people and all our church formations affected by the rising crimes and drugs, continuing corruption and government neglect, poverty and sufferings of our people,” said Peter Laviña, head of Duterte’s media group, in a statement on Thursday, May 5.
“These issues are close to the hearts of our moral leaders and the various churches have their own campaigns to end this malady,” he said.
Laviña said that knowing INC’s discipline in voting, he considered the church’s endorsement “truly significant” for the campaign. “We thank the INC as well all other religious groups and religious leaders.”
Laviña scored the Liberal Party’s claim that they are in a “momentum” which he branded as an “empty boast but clearly laying the premises and conditioning the minds of our people on the grand fraud they plan to unleash with unbelievable results on election day.”
He warned the public of yet another fake survey which shows administration bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas III ahead of the other presidential candidates.
In a statement Thursday, Leoncio Evasco Jr, the national campaign manager of Duterte, said the spurious survey was designed “to condition the minds of the Filipino people that Mar Roxas is the real frontrunner and will most likely win the presidential race.”
Evasco claimed the fake survey will be released on May 7 which is two days before election day. “The survey is both grossly questionable and downright illegal.”
“The Commission on Elections prohibits the release of survey results three days before the election. Obviously, this survey is designed to condition the minds of the Filipino people that Mar Roxas is the real front-runner .”
The camp of Duterte was referring to the survey conducted by D’ Strafford which placed Roxas on top of the presidential race.
“These are prelude to cheating and are all part of a system of election fraud laid down by the administration,” said Evasco.
“We have warned the public already, and we are again warning the Filipino people of possible massive cheating in the elections on Monday. The administration will be relentless in its attempts to subvert the will of the Filipino people.”
“The people must foil the evil plan of the administration,” he added.
“We should not belittle the desperation of Roxas, Aquino, and the yellow ilk because they are in power and in control of the resources, including funds.”
“They may have the money and the machinery, but we have each other and the collective desire for real change,” Evasco said. (davaotoday.com)
