Duterte in fierce clash with Mindanao indigenous people

At the risk of missing the deadline for my column last Sunday, I had to rush to Cebu for an urgent meet with the Lead Convenor of the Mindanao Indigenous People Customary Leader (MIPCL). I must get first-hand information on a brewing open protest movement by the Lumad to crush the apparent surge of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the top of the presidential contest. A week ago, Manila papers reported Duterte scoring a phenomenal capture of the top of pre-poll survey, rising at 26% above Grace Liamanzares, who got 24%, and Mar Roxas, at 21% being third, while Vice President Binay, hitherto in a statistical tie with Grace on top of previous surveys, dropping to a sorry fourth, at 19%.

It turned out the survey was bogus and its publication achieved no other purpose than to propel the Davao City butcher to the pinnacle of people’s psyche. No such survey was undertaken, came the clarification from Pulse Asia, the survey period being the Holy Week, when Pulse Asia doesn’t conduct surveys.