Manila, Philippines — The movement to prod Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte into throwing her hat into the Presidential derby, is growing, in large part because of her strong, independent personality and obvious reluctance to take on what she knows is a very difficult job.

“We’ve set up a new citizens movement, called the Hugpong Para ka Sara (HPS), and it is snowballing through the regions as people from all sectors, walks of life, and political inclinations are joining it as we go along,” declared Bagong Henerasyon partylist representative Bernadette Herrera.

“The interesting thing about this movement is that a lot of people who are jumping into the bandwagon were not supporters of Mayor Sara in the beginning, but are gradually attracted by her quiet, yet potent character which symbolizes for them, genuine change,” explained Herrera who is also the HPS spokesperson.

“They seem to get drawn to the fact that Mayor Sara has a mind of her own, does not care about being at odds with her father’s views, and is taking a great deal of thought to whether she will run for President ,or not,”, Herrera said. “All of these attributes show Mayor Sara is no “trapo.”

Building momentum

Indeed, the political phenomenon that is Sara Duterte shows signs of building momentum. She continues to lead in all surveys among ordinary Filipinos polled on who they want as their next President in 2022.

The Davao City chief executive radiates strength through her actions. She showed up with a buzz cut during her confirmation as an Army reservist. She once punched a sheriff on national TV for demolishing poor people’s homes. She nicknamed her children Sharky, Stingray and Stonefish.

Despite her differences with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on issues such as federalism or infrastructure investment, there is no mistaking the Mayor’s loyalty and love for her father. She takes on the First Lady role when the situation calls for it.

“Yung alpha sa pamilya namin, hindi [ako]. Sabihin ko sa inyo hindi ‘yan totoo, hindi ako, si Inday. Kung sabihin ni Inday, ganito, ganito ‘yan. Sa pamilya namin, siya ‘yan,” the President himself admitted in an interview.

A political force

Mayor Florabelle Uy Yap of San Narciso, a municipality in Quezon Province, is another convert to a possible Duterte Presidency.

Yap admitted not knowing Duterte personally, but professed admiration for the latter for her political will in implementing programs in her city, particularly those that deal with peace and order, investment in infrastructure, tourism and job creation.

“From our impression of her, Mayor Sara is a political force and she will go far to protect the people, her constituency,” Yap explained.

“As a woman, I admire her because she has a gentle heart for her constituents, and that to me is gallantry, but her style of governance is couched by a strong political will, which is what the country needs.”

HPS gives grassroots support to Mayor Sara

Herrera said the HPS functions for now as a “think-tank’ run by a virtual citizens movement composed of the business sector, local communities, academe, local government and non-government organizations, environmental groups, among others. It’s immediate goal: provide the Davao City Mayor adequate data from the grassroots level upon which she can base her decision whether to run for President in 2022, or not.

“We will support Mayor Sara if she decides to run for President, and will support as well any decision of the Duterte family should the Davao chief executive decide not to,” Herrera said.

“We urge all supporters to likewise respect her process. Rest assured that whatever her final decision may be, the welfare of our kababayans (countrymen) will be of her utmost concern,” she added.

The HPS will have its official launch on September 12.