The time Duterte had to make way for KathNiel

You might have heard of senatorial candidates at Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation rally getting miffed at not being allowed to speak on stage. 

The issue was lack of time. Even in the program given to media, only 15 minutes were to be allotted for Duterte to recognize the presence of the candidates and announce their names and causes.

But to be more specific, the candidates were actually up against an even more formidable foe: the romantic tandem of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. 

An insider in the Duterte campaign team says the real worry was that the audience of Tondo residents would disperse if the duration of the proclamation rally got dangerously close to the time slot of the ABS-CBN teleserye, Pangako sa ‘Yo, which stars KathNiel. 

The show, supposedly the most popular in its time slot, usually starts around 8:30 pm. Duterte climbed onstage at around 7:30 pm. 

“We wanted to make sure there would be enough time for people to walk back home and catch the show,” said the insider.

His impromptu speeches, typically long and winding, ended around 8:30 pm. There was barely enough time for his oath-taking as PDP-Laban chairman and the short recognition of senatorial candidates. 

KathNiel’s star power was an issue for Duterte more than for other candidates because his rally began much later than that of the others.

As it turns out, the episode on that day, February 9, was the show’s second most watched episode. It’s no surprise because the KathNiel tandem is one of the most popular love teams in showbiz right now, commanding the devotion of hundreds of thousands.

Duterte too can boast of a cult following. Indeed, many at the rally stayed on to have their photos taken with him. 

But political handlers admit one thing: no matter how dramatic the elections are cranking up to be, you don’t dare cross teleserye time. – Pia Ranada/Rappler.com