by Chito A. Fuentes
PAGADIAN CITY – Supporters and admirers on Monday pledged their support and loyalty to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte by “helping him fulfill his destiny as the next president of the Republic of the Philippines”.
While Duterte stood helplessly to witness the solemn moment, everyone who was inside the venue in the federalism forum raised their hands and recited the pledge of support from copies distributed individually by the local organizing committee of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Committee.
“I…a peace and freedom loving Filipino citizen, fully aware of the contemporary problems of our country, strongly believe that true and genuine change must effected in order to address our problems on criminalities, drug trafficking, insurgency, poverty and moral decay,” the pledge noted.
Even the waiters who served the food inside the Pinoy Grill restaurant paused from their duties, raised their right hands and recited the pledge.
The pledge of support for Duterte’s presidential bid culminated the forum on April 27, an activity that had to be rescheduled after bad weather aborted the mayor’s first visit last Jan. 26.
Duterte still fended off the calls for a presidential run that seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as his audience lapped up every pronouncement he made on major issues and policies if he were the president.
He already discussed these in previous forums: no more taxes for those earning P25,000 and less, declaring a revolutionary government, abolition of Congress, increase in the salaries of teachers, policemen and soldiers and restoring the death penalty.
A brief press conference was held after the forum where Duterte reiterated that he feels he is too old for the presidency.
He also discussed at length a nagging spinal condition which he said requires constant therapy and medication.
The mayor also pointed to the huge war chest required to launch a presidential campaign which he placed at “P10 to P15 billion”.
Duterte said his mindset was to retire and in fact was only waiting for his daughter, former Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, to declare her willingness to seek the post she held from 2010-2013.
At the end of the forum, however, it seemed as though his audience never heard the reasons he gave why he does not want to run when everybody stood up to recite the pledge solemnly.
Duterte excused himself from the forum saying he had to pay a courtesy call on Zamboanga Sur Gov. Antonio Cerilles, whom described as one he knew for a long time.
The mayor said that his father, the late Davao Gov. Vicente Duterte, was a good friend of the governor’s father, ex-Gov. Vicente Cerilles. The two Vicentes were stalwarts of the old Nacionalista Party.
Duterte also said he visited Pagadian many times in his younger days – when he needed flying hours when he was studying to become a pilot, and by motorcycle on the way to Zamboanga.
Traffic slowed down near the venue of the mayor’s speaking engagement as passersby strained their necks trying to get a glimpse of the emerging Mindanaoan leader who is now having his hands full trying to fend off a growing clamor to put him in Malacanang next year.
According to the pledge of support recited by his supporters, after a thorough evaluation, they have concluded that Duterte is the leader “who can achieve our people’s elusive dream of restoring peace and order in our country which will lead us to economic prosperity for all”. (CHITO A. FUENTES)
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