MANILA - For Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte becoming a president spells disaster for the Philippines.

"It's going to be a disaster for the country," Trillanes, who is running for Vice President, told Lynda Jumilla in an interview on ANC's Beyond Politics.

Trillanes said Duterte's tough leadership style may not work on a national level.

"You don't just say 'I'm going to rid criminality in 3-6 months.' What are you going to do? Are they going to implement the 'Pol Pot formula' which has failed before? Or a milder version which is a draconian environment like the Martial Law years?" he said.

READ: Duterte decides to run for president

When asked to choose between Vice President Jejomar Binay and Duterte, Trillanes said the country may be better off with Binay than with the tough-talking mayor as president.

"I can't imagine myself saying this, but it's going to be so much worse," he said.

"If it's a Binay presidency, God forbid, then we'll have to respect the mandate that's given to him," he added.

WATCH: Duterte on dzMM's 'Ikaw na ba'

However, Trillanes said preferring Binay over Duterte doesn't mean that he would cease to question the Vice President's alleged corruption.

"But it doesn't mean I'm going to turn a blind eye on his ways, because I am sure 100 percent that he will not change. If you put a plunderer into the presidency, you don't expect the guy to be a saint. Expect him to plunder more."

The senator has been a staunch critic of Binay, leading an inquiry into the corruption allegations against the Binay family for more than a year.

READ: Trillanes: Binay has 'no balls' to be president

As for a possible presidency under administration bet Mar Roxas, Trillanes said it would likely be similar to the current Aquino administration.

"A Roxas presidency I envision to be more of the same as what we have now. So if that's okay with you, then vote for the guy," he said.

Trillanes, who has endorsed Senator Grace Poe's candidacy, is also unfazed by her disqualification battle.

"I believe at some point the Supreme Court will see the light. We're in a democracy and the vote of the people is sovereign. They're not about to choose who the candidates are," he said.

'TRILLANES WILL FIGHT FOR YOU'

When it comes to his own bid, Trillanes admitted voter awareness is the biggest challenge as his numbers are lagging behind in recent polls.

But Trillanes is optimistic of his "cost-effective ground campaigning" involving mainstream and social media, backed by a more organized Magdalo group, who helped him win in the 2007 and 2013 senatorial elections.

"We're going to introduce ourselves to the individual voter and I'm going to sell myself to them, convince them to entrust me that power, position, and responsibility of being vice president," he said.

"The main message is "Si Antonio Trillanes, ipaglalaban ka.' That basically encapsulates my public service," he added.

Trillanes also said he is getting logistical and financial support from the Nacionalista Party (NP), the home of his fellow vice presidential bets Senators Bongbong Marcos and Alan Cayetano.

"I presume since Sen. Bongbong Marcos is a Marcos and Sen. Cayetano has Taguig, then probably they won't need as much support as I would," he said.

Running as an independent candidate, Trillanes believes the absence of a running mate would not be an issue once the campaign period starts in February.