Fashioning himself as the anti-Rodrigo Duterte candidate has worked wonders for Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas, who on Wednesday characterized the election as a two-way horse race between him and the foul-mouthed Davao City mayor.

“The fight is now down to the two of us, Mayor Duterte and I,” Roxas told a press briefing at the LP’s Balay headquarters in Quezon City.

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After trailing his rivals for months, Roxas rose by two points to place second in the latest Pulse Asia survey, statistically tying with Sen. Grace Poe. His voter support went up to 22 percent, while Poe, slipping by one point, was at 21 percent.

Duterte, the leader, remained steady with 33 percent.

But Roxas, a former trade and interior secretary, reveled in the fact that only he among the candidates was on an upward trajectory, saying “momentum is with us.”

“Our rivals are going down, while we are going up. This is a reflection of the trust the people have continued to give us, and we thank them for it,” he said.

Asked about what factors led to his rise, Roxas said it was a combination of a strong performance during the April 24 debate and the recent controversies surrounding Duterte, including an outrageous rape joke and alleged multi-million transactions in his bank accounts.

With only days left before May 9, he said he and running mate Leni Robredo were preparing for the “fight of our lives.”

“There are still many things to come. The ground is shifting. I have been receiving many texts. A lot of people are joining us,” he said.

Roxas also made an appeal to undecided voters: “Look at our track record and our character. Character is your guarantee as to who we are, our positions on issues, and whether you can trust us.”

He also continued his barbed attacks against Duterte, taking him to task for some of his controversial remarks, such as his threat to close down Congress should he be impeached.

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“He will shut down Congress. What does he mean—isn’t that dictatorship? As president, you would have to report to a joint session of Congress. He can only shutter Congress by repealing the Constitution,” Roxas said.

He also criticized the mayor for his association with exiled Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison, playing up fears of a revolutionary government. “He will remove our system and replace it with communism,” he said.

“For me, the choice is very clear, if we want honest, clear leadership, [choose me]. If you want chaotic, directionless leadership built only on soundbites, it’s clear who’s the candidate for you,” Roxas said. RC

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