MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte emerged as a possible top presidential candidate in the 2022 May elections, based on the result of the latest survey by Pulse Asia.

The survey, conducted on 2,400 respondents, showed that 26 percent of respondents said they would support Mayor Duterte.

“If the presidential election was held during the survey period, around one out of four Filipino adults, (26%) would vote for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as the country’s new chief executive,” Pulse Asia said.

Respondents in Mindanao (58%) and Visayas (29%) also expressed support for Duterte, according to the survey.

Tied at second place are former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and Senator Grace Poe at 14% followed by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso at 12%, and Senator Manny Pacquiao at 10%.

Vice President Leni Robredo also registered as presidential voter preference at 8%, followed by Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Christopher “Bong” Go both at sixth place with 6%.

In the vice presidential race, Domagoso topped the probable bets at 17 percent followed by Sara Duterte at 16%, and Senate President Vicente Sotto III (14%). Behind them are Marcos (11%), Pacquiao (11%), and Go (9%).

The survey was conducted from November 23 to December 2, 2020 using face-to-face interviews.

It was held after a series of storms that hit various parts of the country and caused massive flooding in the Cagayan Region, followed by the announcement of pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna that their vaccines are more than 90 percent effective against COVID-19, the designation of Carlito Galvez Jr. as vaccine czar and the extension of the general community quarantine of Metro Manila, Batangas, Lanao del Sur, and Davao del Norte until 31 December 2020 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the said areas. – RRD (with details from Correspondent Rosalie Coz)

MANILA, Philippines – Fourteen employees of the Davao City hall were apprehended after they were caught drinking alcoholic beverages on Tuesday despite an existing liquor ban.

The city government said the employees of the Davao City Engineering’s Office were caught inside the motor pool compound in Barangay Maa at 3:45 p.m.

Mayor Sara Duterte has issued a stern warning against government workers who disobey the liquor ban in the city, as well as the prohibition on the conduct of holiday parties amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

 “Heads of offices should remind their personnel every day to give honor (by following protocols) to their fellow employees who are hard at work on the Covid-19 frontlines,” Duterte said.

The ban on drinking and selling of liquor and other alcoholic beverages was reimposed in the city on November 2 until December 31 as part of local government’s efforts to control the COVID-19 cases.

Duterte also ordered the city’s human resource management office to “check other penalties aside from liquor ban cases.”

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Saturday (Nov. 21) announced that they will be carrying out changes in the country’s travel restrictions effective immediately. 

In a statement released to the media, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that with the latest resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), the bureau has carried out the expanded coverage of foreign nationals that are allowed to enter the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Effective immediately, treaty traders and treaty investors, or those issued visas pursuant to Section 9(d) of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 are allowed to enter the country,” said Morente.

Section 9(d) visa holders are those alien businessmen who are in the country to carry on trade of commerce between the Philippines and the country to which he is a national of, or invest in an enterprise in the country, the statement said.

Also entitled to the same visa are the alien’s spouse and minor children, as well as the alien’s employees, it further said.

It added that other foreigners allowed to enter the country are those with visas issued by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, and Clark Development Corporation. —/mbmf