DUTERTE SERYE | Rody Duterte Mobbed in Macau, People Shout: "He is our Hope!"

By Manny Piñol

Macau, SAR - Walking into the Cotai Arena of the Venetian Macau, I had the feeling that my friend Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte would turn heads among the largely Filipino crowd who trooped to watch the championship fight between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and American Chris Algieri.

It was about 10 a.m. and the action inside the arena has started but there were still people at the entrance gates when the 69-year-old colorful Mayor strode in accompanied by his high school classmate and childhood friend Carlos "Sonny" Dominguez, the former secretary of agriculture, his two sons, Ralph and Nacho, his aide, Bong Go, myself and two more friends.

First, there were just about two of three who recognized him saying: "Hala, si Mayor Duterte!"

As several others heard the name Duterte, what followed was pandenomium as people started to rush towards the Davao City Mayor who also appeared surprised by the spontaneous display of adulation and affection by people.

"Ito ang pag-asa ng bayan," several of them shouted as they pressed to get near the Davao City mayor.

"Mabuhay, President Duterte," shouted others.

As the crowd grew bigger, I stepped out and stayed with Ralph and Nacho Dominguez a short distance away and all of us witnessed what we all thought was a spectacular display of thirst and hunger of the people for a leader like Duterte.

From a distance, I raised by camera and took pictures of the spectacle. Some of the photos were out of focus but they nevertheless carried the message.

Behind me, I heard a woman ask her male companion who the center of the commotion was.

"Yan yong Mayor na matigas at palaban at nag-pa "Pak Yu" sa TV," the man told her. I almost laughed out loud.

Seeing the dramatic display of affection by people who a leader who has made his city the 4th Safest in the World and who has remained untarnished by issues of corruption in spite of his 30 years in government service, I felt a lump in my throat and almost shed a tear.

"Grabe ito Manong," Ralph Dominguez told me.

It took Mayor Duterte almost 30 minutes before he could break free from the crowd and proceed to the arena to watch the fights.

As he walked away from the crowd, I saw him take a deep breath.

I understood what that meant. Duterte was touched by what he saw and what he felt.

Inside, people applauded the performance of the fighters capped by Pacquiao's thrashing of the previously undefeated Algieri.

But my mind was still on what I witnessed outside of the arena where another fighter, one who fights for his people's right to live in peace, was literally proclaimed by the people as the man they would like to be their next President.

 

source: MannyPiño1.com

Duterte Serye | Duterte says Visibility is not Due to Prexy Bid

By Bot Consultancy (Ben Jason Oñate Tesiorna )

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo dismissed observations that his recent visibility in the national scene has something to do with his presidential bid come 2016.

Despite his constant statement downplaying growing clamor for him to run for president, many still do not believe that Duterte is not interested in running for president considering that he has been very visible in many parts of the country since last year.

Last year, during the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda, Duterte went to the devastated city of Tacloban and other areas in the Visayas to distribute relief goods and cash assistance to the LGUs. Duterte came well ahead of any other other politicians.

Duterte also visited earthquake ravaged areas of Cebu and Bohol to also distribute cash and relief goods.

Last Monday, Duterte was the guest of honor and speaker during the weekly flag-raising ceremony at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

Duterte also gave the P1 million check, as promised, to members of Task Force Enzo Pastor and Task Force Pivot of CIDG for successfully apprehending the personalities behind the killing of race car driver Enzo Pastor.

Duterte however explained that his mission in going around the country is to push for the federal form of government and not for a presidential bid.

The mayor also downplayed accusation that he is “unpatriotic” for having not heeded to the call of many Filipinos for him to run for president.

Duterte said that whoever is accusing him of that are those who really wanted him to run. He said there are many more Filipinos more suitable for the job. Duterte he simply do not covet the position thus his refusal.

source: Bot Consultancy

Duterte Serye | The naked truth about Duterte

By Jun Ledesma | Oct. 3, 2014

 DAVAO CITY, Davao
— During coffee break in the public relations seminar I attended in Tagaytay City last week, I was asked by Malou Tiquia, the Chief Executive of Publicus Asia, what this troubling issue about Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte planning to shoot those who advocate his running for the Presidential race in 2016.

I quickly remembered that Ms. Tiquia openly considered Duterte as one possible presidential timber in an interview with Boy Abunda’s “The Bottom Line”. It was in the same talk show that political analyst and UP Prof. Clarita Carlos passionately endorsed Duterte for the Presidency stressing that he is in fact very qualified and more importantly has a “fire in his belly”. What she meant is that Digong is one kind of a leader who is ready to fight with all his might and determination for what he believes is right.

Seeing Ms. Tiquia in person this time gave me the opportunity to ask her whether she has not changed her impression of the Davao City Mayor. Her response was quick.


“But what is this talk going around that he is going to shoot his endorsers?” And then she chuckled as if amused. I told her, it will be good if you can talk with the mayor personally.

“But what kind of a man is he? I know that people speaks so highly of him but what is he really. Why the shooting thing?” she pressed on.

I hastened to give Ms. Tiquia a brief description of the man I knew.

People think Duterte as a no-nonsense mayor when it comes to criminality, discipline and orderliness. These are all true. A killer? That’s another story.

To countless child-cancer victims and those who cannot afford hospitalization he is their savior. For the marginalized that want to have a modest source of livelihood he spares them 1/3 of the pedestrian lane. He is a kind and soft-hearted man and this virtue he keeps but cannot be hidden because people speak about it.

In solemn nights especially during the yuletide, the man who mince no words and expletives in addressing criminal elements, would cuddle cancer patients, give them Christmas presents and give shelter to parents watching over their children who are in agony. At the height of a storm he stepped out of his pick-up vehicle then instruct his driver to bring home a distraught mother and her three kids caught in a flooded street.

When his vehicle failed to come back because of the rising flood water he just took a cab home and asked his driver that he too should just go straight home.

Digong is not the kind of man the likes of CHR Etta Rosales and Justice Secretary Leila Delima picture him to be. But true, he drives a taxi in the evening to prowl the city of street gangs, thieves and criminal elements hoping to engage them to a shootout if they opt to fight it out. But isn't it enigmatic that the same man actually sends hundreds of out-of-school-youths to school, stretch the rules and patience to provide opportunity for sidewalk vendors who strive for modest livelihood?

Duterte is far from being a gunslinger or someone with a smoking gun. As a journalist hounding Duterte for years now, I can only cite two instances when and where the mayor pulled the trigger of his gun. This was when convicted killer “alias Pugoy” and fellow inmates gang-raped a missionary and held hostage a little girl which they later killed without mercy. The incident which happened in a detention cell inside a Philippine Constabulary (PC) barracks enraged Duterte who assaulted the prison and fought it out with the armed Pogoy gang.

In another incident, Mayor Duterte along with police and drug enforcers, led the raid of a drug laboratory in Daliao, Toril. The members of the drug syndicate, who turned out to be undocumented Chinese nationals, opted to shoot it out with the lawmen. All the suspects perished. Smoke can still be seen in the barrel of Digong’s gun when they exited out of the laboratory.

The most recent incident did not involve Mayor Duterte but he was on top of the operation. He ordered the shoot-to-kill order to anti-kidnapping operatives that wiped out the entire kidnap-for-ransom syndicate who made the mistake of straggling in Davao City to collect the ransom from a bank.

The victim, a woman trader from Quezon City, was unscathed and lived to tell the story of how Duterte and the police operatives saved her.

It is true that Duterte always gives chance to offenders and other crime suspects to reform or just simply leave the Davao City. The message is simple: “Reform or leave the city vertically or horizontally”. Of course others would rather go swimming in the treacherous waters of Davao Gulf and in the process drown.

source:Sunstar Davao