Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Some political analysts said that the possible tandem of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano could be a force to reckon with in the 2016 elections.
This was after Cayetano announced his vice presidential bid on Tuesday (September 29) in Davao City — coincidentally Duterte’s bailiwick.
“It’s a serious team with serious chance of winning,” political analyst and University of the Philippines (UP) Professor Ramon Casiple said.
Casiple added that Cayetano can help boost Duterte’s winnability due to several key factors, such as “ratings, resources, organization, [and] appeal to voters who think there is need for strong leadership.”
Dr. Dennis Coronacion, chairperson of the University of Santo Tomas Political Science Department, said that the senator’s image also fits that of Duterte.
“Aside from being seasoned politicians, Cayetano’s no-nonsense image in the Senate complements Duterte’s iron-fist approach to crime in Davao,” he added.
Cayetano is among the senators who have grilled several key persons during the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee’s hearings on corruption allegations against presidential hopeful Vice President Jejomar Binay.
“I think that the Duterte-Cayetano tandem is going to be a force to reckon with in the 2016 elections,” Coronacion said, noting that Duterte’s bailwick, which is Davao, is one of the regions with the biggest number of voters.
Related: Duterte: Cayetano can ‘wipe out’ other VP hopefuls
Political analyst and former UP Political Science Department Chairperson Temario Rivera, however, said that Cayetano needs to prove that he can bring Luzon votes for Duterte.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted last September 8 to 14, Duterte only placed fifth with eight percent in Balanced Luzon.
It was Sen. Grace Poe who topped Luzon at 31 percent, followed by Binay’s at 21 percent, Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II at 18 percent, and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at nine percent.
“If Duterte runs, he needs somebody with a strong constituency in Luzon because Duterte will win in Mindanao and will also get a significant portion of the Cebuano votes,” Rivera explained.
Rivera added that Duterte also needs someone who can bring votes from social classes D and E where he has been placing fourth.
Both Rivera and Coronacion agreed that Cayetano’s possible votes may mostly come from Metro Manila and classes A, B, and C.
“Take note that Cayetano, who hails from Taguig, has no bailiwick outside Metro Manila,” Coronacion said.
However, he added that Cayetano can garner votes, coming from across all regions and social classes, for Duterte.
This shows, Coronacion said, that Cayetano is a good match for Poe’s running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero.
