Thread by @PhilippineStar

The campaign manager of Manila mayor Isko Moreno believed the ratings of survey frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are bound to go down because of his refusal to face the media and presidential fora with other candidates. #BilangPilipino2022 | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Speaking to ANC’s Headstart, Lito Banayo said the voting public does not want a candidate for president to be afraid of facing opponents. “No way,” Banayo said when asked if he thinks the late dictator's namesake is the runaway winner based on latest surveys. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab "Marcos Jr’s survey ratings are high because of his tandem with the presidential daughter Davao city mayor Sara Duterte," added Banayo, a seasoned campaign strategist involved with the past presidential campaigns of Duterte, Benigno Aquino III, Joseph Estrada, and Cory Aquino.

@mjaysoncayabyab “His numbers are high, but if you will notice, it’s because he was able to inveigle Inday Sara to join his tandem. That’s not necessarily something that will be permanent,” Banayo said. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab But his numbers "will erode little by little" because of his refusal to face his opponents and the media, Banayo said. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Banayo: The reason why I supposed his numbers are gradually going down is precisely because people do not like candidates who do not face their competitors/opponents.

@mjaysoncayabyab Banayo said the Marcos’ camp strategy of refusing presidential debates and fora with hard-hitting journalists - and agreeing instead to interviews with celebrities, influencers - was meant to “insulate” him from committing mistakes. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab “I was listening last night to candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and for about 16 or 17 minutes, he did nothing except to talk about unity, unity, unity. Nothing else. Purely motherhood,” Banayo said of Marcos Jr.’s proclamation rally speech at the PH Arena. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab “The people are not that stupid. At a certain point in time, they will discern that you talk of unity but you are the most polarizing candidate,” he added. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Banayo downplayed observations during Moreno’s proclamation rally that the mayor commended his contenders Senators Manny Pacquiao and Ping Lacson, but criticized his closest survey rivals Marcos Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Moreno singled out Robredo when he lumped together her six-year term as VP, with the presidential terms of the late Corazon Aquino and her son Benigno Aquino III, to forward a claim that the country’s situation did not improve under the Liberal Party. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Moreno also said the country did not improve under Marcos Jr.’s father and namesake, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who ruled the country for 21 years with a bad economy, massive debt, and human rights abuses. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Former presidential spox Edwin Lacierda called Moreno’s comparison “dishonest” bec the mayor conveniently ruled out the six-year term of Duterte, as he courts the latter’s blessing in May. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Moreno also had no stinging words against Duterte during his proclamation rally. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab “Assuming for the sake of argument, why blame VP Leni for the last six years? The President determined and crafted policies and you know damn well she did not. You say facts only but please fix your facts,” Lacierda said. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Asked if Moreno was targeting Robredo’s voter base, Banayo said they are confident the mayor will surpass the vice president’s ratings by putting themselves in the center instead of attacking political opponents. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab The camp is confident the "silent majority" is on Moreno's side. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab “We think the silent majority will gravitate toward Isko Moreno and not VP Robredo, precisely because the message of VP Leni has been centered on targeting her political enemies," Banayo said. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab "For 39 years we have given Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and the allies of VP Leni a chance, but where did that take us? We are still in the same rut," Banayo said. “Robredo will get 14 or 15 percent, that’s her cap. We’re not targeting the voters of VP Robredo." | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab While the camp claims to put themselves in the middle, Moreno has resorted to attacking his closest contenders Marcos Jr., Robredo. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Since the broad opposition talks fell through, Moreno has singled out the VP and her supporters, calling them “Dilawan” and “Pinklawan.” | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Moreno also attacked Marcos Jr. and his army of trolls during his proclamation rally. In the ANC interview, Banayo said Moreno’s camp know “for a fact that they have thousands of trolls out there” while their online support is real and “organic.” | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab But the campaign strategist admitted that Moreno and Robredo share a “common enemy” - “the frontrunner right now, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.” | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Banayo said the survey results months before May can still change. He cited internal surveys that Moreno may soon surpass Robredo. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab He also cited the camp’s copy of a Tangere-Manila Bulletin survey conducted Feb. 4-5 which showed that: Marcos Jr.s’ ratings slid to 54% from 57.67% in the Jan. 18-19 survey; and Moreno’s improved ratings to 22.17% from 16.75%. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Moreno’s camp did not release Robredo’s latest ratings, which was at 15.08% during the Jan. 18-19 survey. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab The latest Manila Bulletin-Tangere survey cited by Moreno's camp also showed respondents favoring the mayor's performance at the Jessica Soho presidential interviews last Jan. 22 and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas forum last Feb. 4. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab Marcos Jr. snubbed both interviews, and his refusal to join his contenders in the Feb. 4 KBP forum disappointed 32 percent of respondents, according to the survey cited by Moreno’s camp. The Manila Bulletin has not yet published the latest Feb survey results. | @mjaysoncayabyab

@mjaysoncayabyab However, the Moreno camp failed to mention the results of the latest Laylo Research survey among 3,000 respondents conducted Jan. 17-23, that showed Marcos Jr’s ratings up to 64%, compared to Robredo’s 16%, Moreno and Pacquiao’s 7%, and Ping Lacson’s 4% bit.ly/33eEd2m