Despite various “surveys” supposedly excluding him from the list of top presidential contenders in the 2010 elections, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando has expressed confidence that he will become the country’s next president.

Fernando said election surveys tend to be self-serving and should not be relied upon as the voice of the voting public, whom he pointed, has now began to understand his real worth as a public servant and as the future president.

The MMDA chairman said that a recent survey by an independent political think tank placed him second among the presidential aspirants. Most of the respondents are Metro Manila residents.

A Pulso ng Bayan survey by the Issues and Advocacy Center also indicated that Fernando is gaining
acceptance among a growing number of people. The Center is an independent political think tank and is a member of the World Association of Public Opinion Research (WAPOR).

Fernando tied with Senator Manuel Roxas at 7th and 8th places, getting a positive rating of six percent. According to Fernando, the survey is the exact contrast to an earlier four-day poll conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on November last year that showed Fernando garnering a rating of only two percent.

“’Wag kasisiguro na kung ako’y medyo mababa ang rating sa survey ngayon ay hindi ito magbabago,” Fernando said, on the election surveys.

In the latest Metro Manila survey, Fernando said this only shows that he is now a serious contender to the presidential post.

"The presidency is a management job. Dapat may training sa local government unit ang isang pangulo. A good knowledge of local governance will make a good president,” he said of his distinct difference from the other presidential aspirants.

Comparing himself to Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, Fernando, dubbed “Mr. Political Will”, believes he can steer the country towards greater economic heights.