MANILA — Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday said he does not consider the May 2019 mid-term elections as a referendum on President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Sotto disagreed with the opposition “Otso Diretso” slate’s claim that the outcome of the senatorial race would serve as a referendum on the presidency, noting that Duterte is not endorsing a full slate for 12 Senate seats.
“Nope. I do not agree… Campaign issue is not whether you are for Duterte or not. It’s about what you can do for the country and the people,” Sotto said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said it would be a mistake for the opposition to bill the mid-term elections as a referendum on Duterte, considering the President’s overwhelming popularity.
“If I were their campaign manager, I wouldn’t bring the campaign to that level, not even strike the consciousness of the electorate along that line,” Lacson said.
“Why? That is tantamount to pitting their candidates against a popular president with 81 percent approval rating before the end of 2018,” he added.
Duterte endorsed the senatorial bids of his former aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, former Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and former Presidential Political Affairs Adviser Francis Tolentino.
The President also endorsed incumbent Senators Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos.
