(UPDATED February 4, 2016, 12:22a.m.) February 3, 2016, 10:28p.m. – PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano will attend an election forum at the UST Central Seminary Gym this Friday, Feb. 5.

The Duterte-Cayetano duo will address the forum titled “The Filipino Youth Vision: The Presidential and Vice Presidential Forum Series for the New Philippines 2021,” the first in a series of election fora in the University.

Tickets for the forum, which will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m, will be distributed to Thomasians on Feb. 4. Comelec Vice Chairman Raymond Naguit said representatives from local student councils and organizations would get tickets while the rest would be distributed to students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested students may visit the Comelec office in the Tan Yan Kee Student Center or inquire through Aktiboto’s Facebook page. 

Duterte, the tough-talking Davao City mayor who received flak last year for hurling an expletive at Pope Francis for causing traffic during his 2015 apostolic visit, has been cleared to run for president after the national Comelec’s First Division scrapped all petitions to disqualify him on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

The poll body validated former Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban standard-bearer Martin Diño’s certificate of candidacy for president, and his subsequent withdrawal in favor of Duterte.

Duterte and Cayetano were the only ones among presidential and vice presidential candidates who showed up in “The Leader I Want” forum at De La Salle University last Jan. 20.

Duterte is tied at second place with independent candidate Grace Poe and Liberal Party bet Manuel Roxas in the latest SWS survey. Duterte obtained a 20-percent rating. Poe got 24 percent while Roxas polled at 21 percent. Vice President Jejomar Binay topped the January SWS survey with 31 percent.

The UST forum is spearheaded by Aktiboto, a Thomasian-initiated voter education for the Filipino youth. Monica M. Hernandez

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