And now the stage is set for a historic political battle which is beginning to unfold before the people of Davao City between the Duterte family and the Nograles clan in the 2010 election. Atangi!

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In an official statement on TV Monday, Vice Mayor Sara disclosed that the Duterte family has resolved to throw its hat in the local political arena, although it has yet to decide who among the three of them including her father Mayor Duterte and her brother Paolo Duterte, barangay captain of Catalunan Grande shall run for mayor, vice mayor and congressman representing the first legislative district of Davao City. The vice mayor, however, did not elaborate when the family would make public its decision.

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All this partisan development in the com-munity has come to pass at the time when Mayor Duterte’s political arch-enemy House Speaker Boy Nograles is up to his neck parrying criticism from his peers in the Lower House due to his uncertain stand on the Malacañang-inspired Cha-cha. Short of launching a quo, pro-administration congressmen who are feverishly bent on pushing the revision of the Constitution before the 2010 general elections would like to know where the Speaker is leading them on the issue.

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Well, that’s all about it for the moment although local political wags are prone to speculate on Duterte’s emerging political dynasty in Davao City. The subject is so hot it has become the special flavor of the month in coffee shop talks.

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Somehow it would be a good guess to say that should the Duterte family game plan pushes through, Inday Sara having politically established herself being the incumbent vice mayor of Davao City would probably be the standard bearer of the Hugpong opposition party for mayor in the 2010 polls. As to who shall be her vice mayoral teammate in the game, that would yet have to be decided by the family.

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On who shall be Mayor Duterte’s bet to run for Congress in the city’s first legislative district, it is almost a certainty that the family would field Barangay Captain Paolo Duterte to pit against Atty. Karlo Nograles, son of Speaker Nograles, in the congressional race. Paolo is the president of the League of Barangay Captains and he expects substantial political support from the barangay leaders in the city’s prime district.

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Mayor Duterte, now on his last and final term in office by 2010 and no longer eligible for re-election has earlier been reported as toying with the idea of running for Congress in the city’s first legislative district after he bows out of office in 2010 and clash with young congressional bet lawyer Karlo Nograles. But there seems to be an obstacle impeding the execution of his congressional plan in the polls.

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Every politically oriented mind in Davao City is of the firm belief that the potential opponent of Vice Mayor Sara Duterte in the mayoralty race is Speaker Nograles. Even Mayor Duterte has repeatedly harped on the unshakable illusion of the congressman which he nurtured since his high school days is one day becoming mayor of Davao City.

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What makes Speaker Nograles even stronger political adversary of Inday Sara in forthcomng the mayoralty race is not only his popularity as House leader and close confidante of President Arroyo. He is also the president of the well-financed Lakas CMD political party of the administration that could help a great lot in his campaign for mayor in the polls. For his vice mayoral running mate, Nograles might decide to pick former Mayor Ben de Guzman who admittedly still commands strong influence among his constituency in local politics.

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With a strong Nograles-de Guzman political combine besetting Inday Sara in the mayoral election, there’s probability that she may lose in the polls. Thus rather than run for Congress in the first district as earlier planned which would inevitably divide and virtually take away his time from campaigning for Inday Sara, it is conjectured that Mayor Duterte would just have to sacrifice his legislative plan and field his son Barangay Captain Paolo Duterte in the congressional race to pit against Atty. Karlo Nograles in the city’s legislative district widely known as Nograles country.

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DISCARTE. If Inday Sara runs for mayor of Davao City in the 2010 election, and his brother Barangay Captain Paolo Duterte runs for Congress in the city’s first legislative district, the only available slot left for the older Duterte to seek election to public office after his last term as mayor of this urban region is for vice mayor. Obviously, this is not just a coincidence but a deliberate move of the family to draft Mayor Duterte to run as vice mayor of his daughter Inday Sara for mayor come 2010 election. Reason.

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The Nograles-de Guzman mayoral and vice mayoral combine is a formidable team which Inday Sara would have to reckon with very seriously. She would need every bit of assistance from her father Mayor Duterte in the election campaign to withstand the onslaught of the Nograles-de Guzman tandem in the polls. This is probably why the family opted to field Mayor Duterte as vice mayor of Inday Sara so he could devote full time campaigning for the mayoral bid of his daughter while at the same time campaign for his vice mayoral slot and win in the election to complete the dynasty.