By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent COUNCILOR Roger Abaday yesterday brushed aside Archbishop Antonio Ledesma’s pastoral letter that was seen as an advice to Roman Catholic voters against the presidential bid of Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Abaday, the vice mayoral candidate of the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) that is supporting Duterte’s presidential bid, said the admonition from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the city would have no effect on Duterte at all. “Nita-as man gani ang rating ni Duterte nga iyang gibalikas ang Santo Papa,” said Abaday. He said he also pointed out that Duterte has emerged as the favorite presidential candidate as shown in mock elections and surveys in various schools across the country, and Ledesma’s pastoral letter would not change it. Abaday’s mayoral candidate, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of the city’s 2nd District, opted to keep mum about Ledesma’s pastoral letter. In May 3 pastoral letter, released on Tuesday, Ledesma said that while the Roman Catholic Church does not have any official candidate or political party to support, “we (priests) have the duty to remind voters to vote according to your conscience, and to make sure that your conscience is well formed and informed in accordance with the Gospel values that the Church proclaims.” (see Ledesma’s pastoral letter on page 6) While Ledesma did not identify any candidate, he warned against summary killings without formal charges and due process, saying these can never be justified whether or not the victims are suspected criminals or rebels or workers on strike. “These killings are illegal, immoral and sinful,”  he said. Ledesma also cited Davao and held its mayor and local government officials responsible for inaction over the unsolved crimes. “Lately, I have received a deeply disturbing report on Davao City. In 1998 – 2015, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have documented 1,424 extra-judicial killings. The victims include 132 children (17 years and below). None of the perpetrators of the so-called ‘Davao Death Squad’ have been apprehended... A city with such a high rate of unsolved killings cannot be called a city of peace and order.” Meanwhile, Councilor Leon Gan said Ledesma’s pastoral letter would likely give Vice President Jejomar Binay’s presidential bid a boost. If Binay’s ratings here improve, he said, this would also give mayoral candidate ex-mayor Vicente Emano’s campaign a boost. But Councilor Ramon Tabor, a congressional candidate running under Emano’s party, said Ledesma’s pastoral letter would likely have no effect on Binay’s or Rodriguez’s candidacies. During a news conference here on Tuesday, Sen. Aquilino Martin Pimentel III, head of the PDP-Laban, called Duterte as the best among the five presidential candidates.