BEFORE PORT WORKERS Duterte concedes destiny will prevail

by Chito A. Fuentes

Mayor Rody Duterte brings his case for Federalism to port workers in Cebu (YAPPY Photo)

CEBU CITY – “Ug mao nay imong kapalaran, wa kay mabuhat (If that is your fate, you cannot do anything about it),” conceded Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

This was the closest Duterte came to acknowledging that the possibility of him becoming president is not entirely impossible.
Duterte maintained his stance that he was “not interested” in the presidency.

“What will I do with that?” he asked.

The stony silence from his listeners who cheered lustily when he was introduced as the next president of the country meant this was not what they wanted to hear.

Duterte was the guest speaker at a meeting called by the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (Opascor) attended by more than 400 officials and members led by lawyer Tomas Riveral.

Like all his previous speaking engagements, Duterte went back all the way to the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan to explain the continued refusal of Moslems to submit to efforts to subjugate them.

The mayor said the reason why he is going around is to raise the people’s level of awareness particularly on the possibility of violence in Mindanao if the Bangsamoro Basic Law fails.

Duterte insisted that his advocacy for federalism is the only reason why he has embarked on a nationwide tour.

The mayor regaled his audience with stories about his efforts to curb criminality in Davao which was recently declared the 9th safest city in the world.

This distinction was given to Davao by Numbeo, the world’s latest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.

His audience cheered him on each time he talk of episodes about his encounter with drug offenders, criminals and rogue cops.

At the close of his talk, Duterte recited passages from Ecclesiastes, noting that there was a time for everything under the sun.

The mayor alluded to the role that destiny plays in people’s lives - including the making of a president.

“If it is not your destiny, you won’t become president no matter what you do,” he stressed.

Recognizing this, Duterte admitted that destiny will prevail.

YAPPY Photo at OPASCOR meeting with Mayor Rody Duterte

“Let us see,” the mayor said cryptically, a sign which his audience quickly understood as having to do with a possible presidential run.

Lusty cheering and wild applause erupted, prompting Duterte to chide them for “premature” celebration. 

At the start of his talk, Duterte said he has a dream - an allusion to his advocacy for federalism in the country.

When he was through, it was obvious he had turned his listeners to dreamers - that he will heed the call to champion the cause of law and order and turn this country around like what he did in Davao.

The long line of people waiting to shake his hand and pose for a selfie with him could only mean that dream is no longer impossible. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

BEFORE CEBU AUDIENCE Duterte tells “truth” why Davao is safe

by Chito A. Fuentes

CEBU CITY – “You want to know the truth? If you come to Davao and engage in illegal drugs, you’re dead!” Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said.

The mayor was in Cebu for various speaking engagements including a forum at the University of San Carlos (USC) audio-visual hall.

During the forum, a female teacher from a government educational institution asked the mayor Davao’s secret in maintaining peace and order in the biggest city in the world.

The teacher noted that Davao was recently given recognition as the 9th safest city in the world.

Duterte responded candidly, without batting an eyelash, that drug pushers end up dead when they bring drugs into Davao.

“I’m not bragging. I’m really going to kill you,” he added.

The mayor revealed that he was investigated en banc over allegations of his complicity in the summary killing of a suspected personality.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who was Commission on Human Rights chairperson during the administration of ex-Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, conducted the investigation.

The tough-talking Duterte has earned plaudits for turning Davao around from a virtual wastebasket in the early 80s into the fifth biggest economies among Philippine cities.

His firm and relentless campaign against crime and syndicates have captured the imagination of many people who want the Davao experience duplicated in the entire country.

Davao’s peace and order has become an exception in a country where law and order is being challenged on a regular basis.

Duterte insists the growing criminality requires drastic solutions.

“I will bring back the death penalty,” the mayor declared when asked what he will do if ever he becomes president.

Every time he says that, the applause is spontaneous. 

While Duterte continues to deflect calls to run for president, he has titillated listeners with his unequivocal commitment to peace and order.

For people who receive a daily dose of reports of heinous crimes and the breakdown of law and order in many places, Duterte continues to win believers over to his uncompromising stance against criminals.

Little wonder that while Duterte insists he does not covet the presidency, more and more people hope he will change his mind and give in to a growing clamor.

In all his speaking engagements, Duterte is being mobbed by listeners who want to have their pictures taken with him, a ritual which is becoming a fad in social media networks.

Duterte has learned to oblige people who line up for the familiar “selfie” with him.

Even usually disinterested media practitioners asked Duterte to pose with them after the media forum at the Adnama building Monday.

And even after he declared point-blank the secret of Davao’s safety, his audience in USC did the same.

While Duterte insists he has not decided on the presidential draft, the response at his speaking engagements show that many of those who have heard him have found their presidential bet. (CHITO A. FUENTES)