by Chito A. Fuentes
MARAWI CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte returns to “home base” today when he continues his advocacy for federalism in this university city.
Upon arrival at the Kampo Ranao Brigade compound, Duterte will pay courtesy calls on Marawi Mayor Fahad Salic and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong at the latter’s respective offices.
There are no scheduled activities from 12 to 1 in reverence to the Muslim noon time prayers.
The mayor will be feted to lunch at the Solitario compound at Lakeside, Marawi by former Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali.
At 1:30, Duterte is slated to speak before a multi-sectoral forum at the GMA Terminal Complex here.
Duterte, Mindanao’s most prominent contemporary political figure, has been virtually mobbed wherever he goes in the country’s second biggest island which political analysts count as his “Solid North”.
Even before he could take off with his listening tour, Duterte already posted 35% in the Pulse Asia survey last March 1-7, the highest rating in the said survey.
The mayor has already visited the cities of Butuan, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan, Ozamis, Iligan, Valencia, Mati, Tagum and many major towns in the region.
From Marawi, Duterte’s listening tour will take him to Cotabato.and Cagayan de Oro.
The mayor’s Marawi and Cotabao forays come on the heels of his highly-successful and well-received sorties in Iba, Zambales and Urdaneta City, Pangasinan last week.
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| Federalism Forum in Urdaneta, Pangasinan |
Duterte was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception he received in both places with no less than the chief local executives on hand to roll out the red carpet.
Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane and Iba Jun Rundstedt Ebdane led the welcoming horde in Iba that was estimated to be close to 3,000 people.
Gov. Ebdane paid a glowing tribute to Duterte whom he considers the “best mayor in the country”.
“In the implementation of the law, (Duterte) is my idol,” the governor unabashedly declared.
Meanwhile, Mayor Amadeo Perez III welcomed Duterte in Urdaneta.
A third generation mayor from the most prominent political clan in the city, Perez said he respects Duterte’s leadership.
Also present was former Pangasinan Vice Gov. Gonzalo Duque who hosted Duterte’s visit in Dagupan City.
More than a thousand people flocked to the different venues where Duterte spoke, many of them already supportive of his advocacies enough to urge him to run.
While people in the Visayas and Luzon are slowly opening their minds on Duterte’s advocacy for federalism, it takes on a more urgent tone in Mindanao as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) faces rough sailing in Congress.
Duterte has repeatedly warned that hostilities will break down if the BBL fails and hammered home the obvious that Mindanao will be the battleground.
More than any part of the country, it is in Mindanao where the fate of the BBL is being awaited because it will be the most directly affected.
Duterte has pointed out the obvious: no leader of national consequence has come out with a clear position on what he or she intends to do in Mindanao in case the BBL fails.
No one, except Duterte who offers federalism is Mindanao – and perhaps the country’s – last card to avert bloodshed and fragmentation of the republic.
Precisely because of that, more and more people see Duterte as the best card going into the next six years, one who can spell the difference between a captain who has the competence, credibility and experience to steer the ship through rough seas and those who can make the same claim without nothing to prove it. (CHITO A. FUENTES)
Yes Federal Ph No BBL
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