MMDA's Fernando: I will clinch party nomination

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando is still confident that he will be chosen as the administration’s standard-bearer in next year’s national elections despite his dismal performance at presidential surveys. "Up to this date, I’m confident that I will clinch the nomination of the party and when that happens, I have an equal chance as anyone," Fernando told reporters before the start of the Senate inquiry on the funds of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). The recent Pulse Asia survey showed that only one of 10 Filipinos would vote for Fernando, who is known for his no-nonsense type of leadership. Fernando fared the same in the recent survey of Social Weather Station (SWS), which was commissioned by Senator Manuel Villar Jr. The former Marikina mayor brushed aside the SWS survey. "Mukhang hindi totoo yun. Merong kaming sariling survey pero we keep it to ourselves at hindi ganun ang nakikita ko," Fernando said, referring to the survey commissioned by administration party, Lakas-Kampi-CMD. (It seems not real to me. We have our own survey but we keep it to ourselves and the results are different from their survey.) Asked how he fared on their own survey, he said, "OK naman, hindi ganun kasama (Not that bad)." He cited infomercials by prospective presidential bets from the opposition and the fact that the administration is yet to choose its standard-bearer as factors why personalities from their camp aren’t doing well in surveys. Aside from Fernando, other administration personalities who had expressed – or at least hinted of – their readiness to run for the highest elected post in 2010 were Vice President Noli de Castro, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Senator Richard Gordon. - GMANews.TV