"Respect right to assemble" DAVAO CITY BRACES FOR 100,000 IGLESIA RALLYISTS

"Welcome to Davao City. Just don't make trouble and make sure you leave the rally area as clean as when you arrived."

This was the message of Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte last night to the over 100,000 members of the Iglesia in Cristo from Davao Region who are expected to stage a rally in front of the Hall of Justice in Matina, Davao City starting today.

Saying that the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed in the Philippine Constitution, Duterte who is in Manila for a series of engagements, directed his people by phone to ensure that commuters are not bothered by the rallyists.

Under Duterte, Davao City no longer requires a permit from the City Hall to hold a rally or a public demonstration.

"Public assembly is a Constitutional right but making trouble is not," the tough-talking Mayor who turned Davao City from a Killing Fields of Communist assassins to one of the World's Safest Cities.

Duterte last night said he has instructed the City Police, Traffic Management Office and the Public Safety Unit to ensure that the Iglesia rallyists are protected in exercising their freedom to assemble and to express their grievance.

He said the flow of traffic has been rerouted to ensure that the rallyists who are expected to mass near the public transport terminal in Ecoland where provincial buses wait for passengers would not be bothered.

Policemen were also dispatched to the area as of last night but they were instructed to keep a safe distance away from the rallyists, Duterte said.

"Exercise maximum tolerance. You don't need crowd dispersal equipment there. Just talk to the leaders of the Iglesia. Everything will be fine," Duterte instructed his people by phone last night.

The City's 911 Emergency Response Unit was also tasked to closely monitor the situation and ensure that rallyists who would have health concerns could be properly attended to immediately, he said.

The City's army of street sweepers and cleaners have also been directed to focus on the rally area to ensure that cleanliness is maintained, Duterte said.

Davao City is a Hall of Famer in the annual search for the Cleanest and Greenest Cities in the country with street cleaners, mostly widows and single mothers, doing their assignments as early as 3 a.m.

Duterte, who is known to be an excellent crisis manager and negotiator, said he has tapped police and army officers who are members of the INC to act as coordinators to ensure that the rally is orderly and peaceful.

"The issues which brought them to Davao City to rally are none of my concern. They can rally as long as they want for as long as they don't create trouble," he said.

The huge INC rally in Davao City is apparently in support of a bigger gathering of the church's members in EDSA Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.

The rally in the major highway in the middle of Metro Manila, however, has created a monstrous traffic jam which has angered motorists.

In Davao City, where residents are used to the gathering of thousands mainly to attend two major annual events - the Araw ng Davao and the week-long Kadayawan - the mood of the people is different.

Residents of Davao City, the traditional trading centre of Southern Mindanao, view huge gatherings as an opportunity to do business.

"Let them come. We're not worried. I'm sure they will buy something from our stores and our malls will be flooded by clients from the provinces," said Duterte.

The presidency or not? Duterte decision soon

by Chito A, Fuentes

TUNGA, LEYTE - Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is the hope of at least one boy.

This was the message of a painting presented to Duterte as a token from the Leyte Electric Cooperative III (Leyeco 3) Saturday afternoon.

“The face on the shirt is the face of hope for his future,” Leyeco 3 general manager Allan Laniba explained in Cebuano.

Duterte was in Tunga as guest speaker on Leyeco’s 36th annual general membership meeting.

At the end of Duterte’s speech, Leyeco 3 general manager Allan Laniba presented a painting of a boy holding a staff on one hand.

Laniba explained that boys traditionally carry a staff for different uses but this one symbolizes a guide.

On the boy’s shirt was a face - Duterte’s.

Like his previous engagements, Duterte said he is not a candidate and is not interested to be one.

The mayor, however, conceded in a subsequent media interview that he will call his family to a meeting to settle the issue “once and for all”.

“I have talked to them separately but not together,” Duterte said in Cebuano.

The mayor was asked about his reactions to the culmination program of a nationwide caravan in Davao City Friday night where many people expected him to make a proclamation.

Instead, the participants coming from different places of the country proclaimed Duterte as the people’s candidate.

In Tunga, Duterte maintained that the present state of governance does not excite him.

The mayor, who has visited many parts of the country to promote federalism which he said is the “last card” to prevent violence in Mindanao, insists he is not a candidate for president.

“I never said I am running for president,” Duterte declared emphatically as a hush fell inside the hall.

Earlier, the participants gushed when the mayor told them he was born in Maasin in neighboring Southern Leyte.

It was obvious Duterte still continues to hold his ground against the clamor for him run.

But time is running out on the mayor with the deadline in the filing of certificates for candidacy just more than a month away. Time is running out on Duterte, and he is aware of it.

Will he just ride peacefully into the sunset? Or will he give in to the groundswell and fight the biggest fight of his life?

It will be a very difficult choice. The face on the shirt of the boy in the painting from Tunga just made it even more difficult. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

Duterte hints he just might run to appease supporters

by Chito A. Fuentes

BALANGA CITY, BATAAN - Mayor Rodrigo Duterte might just file his certificate of candidacy for a very unusual reason - to appease the people who want him to run.

It was the first time the mayor gave a hint that he just might make a go for the highest office of the land, music to the ears of his supporters who have been asking him to do that for several months now.

Duterte advance team at the Petron Clubhouse in Limay, Bataan (from left, Maribojoc Mayor Jun Evasco, writer Chito Fuentes, Luzon Coordinator Butch Ramirez, Davao 3rd District City Councilor Joselle Dilig Villafuerte, who is from Bataan, and Davao pomelo King Meloy Mercado)

“Para paligayahin ko yung mga tao na gustong tumakbo ako (to appease the people who want me to run)”, the mayor said matter-of-factly while referring to a TV interview the previous night.

It turned out that Duterte was only trying to light up his audience of parents, teachers and local government officials during an educational summit held at Louis Resort in this city.

Duterte has been resisting calls for him to run for president after he started going around to promote his calls for a shift to federalism.

The mayor was trying to make it casual when he followed it up with an unusual request.

“If I happen to file my certificate of candidacy, then do not vote for me,” the mayor said.

He warned that if he wins, “it would be bloody.”

Duterte lamented that he seems to be the only one concerned with the problem.

“What you see and hear on television are candidates cutting each other’s throat but wala silang program of government on the breakdown of the law, order and criminality,” he added.

Duterte is credited for turning Davao City around from being the killing fields of the 80s to the safest city in the country today.

Duterte acknowledged that it comes with a price.

“Ako binibira nila ng extrajudicial killing, nagsasalvage daw tayo ng kriminals (They hit me for extrajudicial, we supposedly salvage criminals),” he pointed out.

The mayor, however, pointed to the state of the country’s judicial system where criminals who are sentenced to prison enjoy their time in Muntinglupa.

Duterte said there is no problem if the five pillars of justice are working well and functioning at a maximum efficiency.

“They have every reason to crucify me,” he said referring to his critics.

Unfortunately, Duterte said drugs remains the biggest problem in the country, reiterating his warning that the Philippines might become “the next Mexico”. 

To many Filipinos including many in his audience here who excitedly lined up for groupies and selfies, only Duterte can prevent that from happening. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

Manila Bulletin August 12

‘Duterte will win in 4-cornered presidential race’

by Jonathan A. Santes
August 12, 2015

Davao City – City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte stands to gain the 
most from a possible four-way tussle for the presidency 
in the 2016 national elections.

This was the bold assessment made by former 
Davao City Councilor and close Duterte ally Peter Lavina
in the wake of reports that supporters of the Davao 
mayor are insisting that he runs for the country’s 
top post despite his pronouncements that he was 
out of the race.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/duterte-will-win-in-4-cornered-presidential-race/#rJ0Aop2UHS07yoMM.99

Duterte believes F-16 purchase “a blunder”

by Chito A. Fuentes

PASAY CITY - Mayor Rodrigo Duterte believes the Philippines committed a mistake when it purchased two jet fighter planes. 

Duterte gave his take on the acquisition as a side comment during a speech before the joint meeting of two JCI chapters. 

“The decision to buy two F-16s is really a blunder,” Duterte declared as he discussed the China problem.

The F-16 is a 1974 American multi-role jet fighter.

Duterte questioned the acquisition of the two fighter planes, noting that it would be no match to Chinese airpower.

“How would it help?” he asked.

Duterte said it would have been better if the Aquino administration acquired gunboats instead.

“(The gunboats) are fast, mobile that can be deployed everywhere, at saka may firepower,” he added.

Duterte, a licensed pilot, pointed to the futility of even just considering an armed confrontation with one of the world’s superpowers.

“We cannot go to war, we cannot fight China,” the mayor emphatically declared to stress the obvious.

Duterte believes diplomacy has a better chance to arrive at a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The mayor also reiterated his contention that the Philippine must not rely too much on the support of the United States.

“America would not die for us,” he stressed.

Duterte said that if the US was really serious in protecting Philippine interest against China, it would have “deployed the 7th fleet in front of that atoll” when work on the contested structures was only starting.

Instead, he said the US did not make a move.

“Now it’s there. (The US) allowed it to be finished,” he added.

Duterte said the problem with China is one of the headaches that the next president would have to do deal with, one reason why he does not want to run.

While Duterte maintains that he is not interested, his grasp of the Chinese problem, among other pressing issues, adds fuel to the fire to the clamor for him to run.

Duterte’s reputation as a problem-solver is one of his advantages over other contenders in a country where so many problems remain unsolved despite campaign promises to do so. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

Duterte ‘best chance’ for change in 2016

by Chito A. Fuentes

PASAY CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte remains the “best chance for change” in the Philippines.

This was the concluding statement issued by former North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Pinol before members and guests of the Israeli Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ICCP) Monday evening.

“In spite of his human frailties, in spite of his shortcomings, he is an imperfect person – but so are we - he is still our best chance for change in this country,” Pinol stressed.

Pinol pinched hit for Duterte, the invited guest, who had to rush home to Davao for an undisclosed family matter.

(Gov. Piňol flanked by Chito Fuentes and Peter Laviňa at the Caraga Business Conference in Agusan del Sur as part of Team Duterte)

The former governor, also a former journalist and sports commentator, confessed that he intended to attend the event “as a spectator, not a presentor”.

Pinol pointed out that among the potential presidential candidates, only Duterte understand the real needs of the farmers.

He noted that none among the presidentiables has accepted the fact the Philippines is a country of 7,100 islands and the problem is how to ship agricultural products to the capital.

“It is more expensive to bring agricultural products from Davao to Manila than from Davao to Singapore,” he noted.

Duterte has also questioned the government’s lack of support to farmers considering their role in the country’s development.

“Why do our farmers pay for the water that they use?” Pinol quoted Duterte echoing the sentiments of the tillers of the soil.

Pinol said Duterte intends to push for a program that would make food “available and affordable”.

A farmer until this time, Pinol echoed the observations of Israeli officials that government has taken for granted many blessings including soil fertility, good weather and the industry of the Filipino farmer.

Duterte has been saying that while Mindanao contributes 64% to the export earnings of the country, it receives a pittance in return.

In his passionate advocacy for a shift to federal movement, Duterte unwittingly captured the imagination of more and more Filipinos who see him as the country’s best card particularly in the war against illegal drugs and crime.

Pinol confessed that as early as two years ago, he pushed for “this crazy idea” to include Duterte’s name on the list of probable presidential bets. 

Duterte’s listening tour, prompted by the possibility of violence in Mindanao if the Bangsamoro Basic Law is not passed, exposed him to the national audience which triggered the clamor for him to run.

In the last Pulse Asia survey, Duterte placed a strong third behind Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay, both of whom have waged national campaigns.

Duterte, who has restricted himself to Davao until lately, was ahead of Secretary Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party bet who has been eyeing the presidency even before the 2010 polls where he lost to Binay.

The mayor’s attendance before the ICCP would have been the latest is a series of speaking engagements before big business groups and foreign dignitaries who want to see for himself the man who transformed his city from the murder capital of the 80s to the safest city in the country.

The event, a part of the series dubbed “Marriage of Cultures”, was held at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City. 

Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Ben Matityau noted the opportunities for exchange between the Philippines and Israel particularly in the fields of agriculture and tourism.

Pinol acknowledged that Duterte continues to resist the call for him to run, citing among others that Moses was over 80 when he led the Jews into the promise land.

He maintained that Duterte, the undisputed political star of the land of promise, who will be 71 next year, is the best person to lead the Philippines next year. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

IF DRUG THREAT PERSISTS Duterte warning: Ph next Mexico

by Chito A. Fuentes

PASAY CITY - The Philippines could be the next Mexico.

This was the warning issued by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte when he spoke before two chapters of JCI International at the Tramway Bayview Buffet Sunday evening.

Duterte was referring to the increasing threat from illegal drug syndicates in the country which has chilling similarities to the Mexican experience.

Mexican drug syndicates have become so powerful they engaged the government in a bloody war that has claimed the lives of thousands.

“We have the same temperament, even the same patrons,” he added, noting the heavy influence of the Roman Catholic church in the two countries.

The tough-talking mayor is the lone voice among the perceived presidentiables who is focused on illegal drugs and crime. It is understandable.

Davao City was the virtual murder capital of the country in the 80s. Many traders fled the city during those violent years where the city lost 410 policemen, soldiers and militiamen.

Under Duterte, the city was transformed from a virtual killing field into the country’s safest city.

Davao also blossomed into the country’s fifth biggest economy among cities and the only one outside Metro Manila.

Duterte has consistently warned against the proliferation of the drug problem.

When asked to comment on the last state of the nation address of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Duterte lamented that there was no mention of the drug problem.

“Ask any mayor you know what is his problem and he will tell you ‘drugs,’” Duterte said, citing his conversations with local executives in many parts of the country..

The mayor has pointed to the magnitude of the problem as one of the reasons why he is hedging on a presidential run.

“There are now three million drug addicts in the country,” he declared as a creeping silence affirmed his estimates.

Duterte warned that if, by some twist of fate or destiny he becomes president, there will be bloodshed.

He noted that if there are three million addicts, there could be as much as 3,000 drug pushers.

“This will keep me busy killing these idiots in the next six years,” he disclosed, drawing laughter from his audience.

“Pag ako, madugo talaga yan, uubusin ko talaga (If I’m there, it will be bloody because I’ll really finish them off,) he declared to thunderous applause and cheers.

The mayor spoke before the joint meeting of the Alabang and Ortigas chapters which was also attended by Cauayan City Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy and Dagupan Vice Mayor Brian Lim.

Dy is the JCI vice president for East Asia and the Pacific while Lim is the national president.

Just like his other engagements, Duterte had to accommodate photo-ops, selfies and groupies before and after his speech.

Duterte has maintained he is not interested in the presidency. Like his experience in previous engagements, the expressions of many of those in his audience Sunday showed they think otherwise. 

In spite of his protestations, the list of those who think Duterte is what the country needs at this time is simply growing by the day. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

The Eagle is in the Dragon's den

Our hope to truly transform the Philippines into a Tiger Economy

Duterte says there are 3 million addicts in PH

by Chito A. Fuentes

CATARMAN, CAMIGUIN - There are now three million drug addicts in the Philippines.

There was deafening silence when Mayor Rodrigo Duterte made this revelation during a federalism forum in Barangay Borbon, Catarman Sunday afternoon.

“If you have three million addicts, it means that you have at least 30,000 drug pushers,” Duterte told his stunned audience in Cebuano.

Before flying to Camiguin, Duterte had a playful "endorsement" in Cagayan de Oro from fellow Mindanaoan and popular TV host Martin Andanar of TV5

The mayor added that considering this number, it will have to be bloody to win the war (against drugs).

He did not reveal the source of his information but it is widely known that Duterte keeps a close tab on developments not only in the worsening drug situation but all forms of criminality.

Duterte is passionate in his concern over the proliferation of illegal drugs which is one of the main points he raises in all his speaking engagements.

When asked for his reaction to the last state of the nation address of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, Duterte lamented that there was no mention of the problem of illegal drugs.

“I supposed he was not given the information about the drug problem. It was only a month ago that the Manila Police revealed that nine out of 10 youth are influenced by drugs. That is dangerous, it involves national security,” the mayor said in his reaction.

Duterte has pointed to the enormity of the drug problem as one of the reasons why he is hedging on a presidential bid.

The tough-talking mayor does not mince words when it comes to drugs.

“I told you, when you come to my city and sell drugs, I will really kill you,” he told his audience of local officials, teachers and ordinary folk inside the covered court in Bonbon.

It was not the first time he issued the warning. It won’t be the last.

The deafening applause that followed his normally chilly warning affirms the widespread fear gripping most Filipinos over the drug problem.

Duterte lamented that his response to the the problem is instead given more importance by the administration particularly Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

“Unya, kana bitawng asawa ni Samson, ako na nuoy gigukod (And yet, the wife of Samson is going after me instead),” Duterte followed up, drawing laughter from a few who caught up his reference to de Lima through the bibilcal Samson.

At the end of his speech, Duterte was virtually mobbed by his audience, many of whom had earlier lined up to have their pictures taken with his standie as a souvenir.

When he strode into the venue after a four-hour delay due to mechanical hitches in the private plane that took him from Cagayan to Mambajao and back, the public address system was drowned out by the shouts and applause of the welcoming throng.

Duterte’s unequivocal stance - and success - against illegal drugs has made him stand head and shoulder above the rest of the field in next year’s presidential polls.

While Duterte continues to profess disinterest in the presidency, it is clear it is only a matter of time before the roof caves in. 

The call of the time for desperate measures - which only Duterte is capable of at this time - will be too much for him to resist. (CHITO A. FUENTES) 

Inquirer: Higher office Duterte's target, says close aide

Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is “definitely” running for higher office in 2016, according to a close confidante.

Christopher Go, Duterte’s executive assistant of 17 years, told the Inquirer he was certain the mayor would be throwing his hat into the ring.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/709743/duterte-definitely-running-for-higher-office-in-2016-says-aide#ixzz3he7Vkp6L
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

IF HE BECOMES PRESIDENT Duterte confident he won’t go to prison for corruption

by Chito A. Fuentes

“If ever I will go to prison, it will not be about money,” Mayor Rodrigo Duterte confidently declared before a gathering of judges, lawyers and law students.

Duterte issued the statement during the testimonial dinner for the four new lawyers of the Liceo de Cagayan University College of Law.

The mayor was enumerating the reasons why he does not want to be president when he made the declaration.

Screen grab of results of a survey by a broadcasting company as of July 31, 2015

“What will I get from that? So many problems: China, Mindanao, ask any mayor who your friend what is the problem and he will tell you ‘drugs,” he said in the vernacular.

Duterte said the problem is so enormous that it can never be solved under prevailing conditions.

“You cannot fix what is unfixable,you cannot save democracy because democracy is fractured,” adding that “it is only for the elite and moneyed people”.

The mayor said there are now three million addicts in a country with a population of 101 million.

If by accident God makes him president, Duterte said going after the criminal syndicates will be “bloody”.

It did not come as a surprise to his audience many of whom are already familiar with his uncompromising stance against illegal drugs and criminality. 

Duterte recalled what it was like when he first assumed as mayor in 1988.

“Davao was a ghost country, my city suffered so much,” he narrated.

During the violent years, Duterte said the city lost 410 policemen, soldiers and militiamen.

The prosecutor-turned-mayor, however, was up to the challenge such that Davao is now the country’s safest city.

Duterte says he has “so many accolades to last me a lifetime.”

“Just thinking about it makes me happy,” he confessed.

Duterte insists that he needs the presidency “like a hole in the head”.

Acknowledging the persistent call for him to join the presidential race, Duterte said the enormous problems are what makes him avoid it “at all cost”.

“How do you deal with police who are into criminality? By what stretch of imagination can you really define due process if you want to reform this government?” he asked.

Duterte said that if anybody can answer these questions, “maybe I will consider it”.

“I will never give a space to criminals,” he vowed.

But if it is his destiny to be president, Duterte told his audience what to expect.  

“After six years, I’m going to give you a new government and a new order,” he categorically declared.

Pointing to the jail time that befell the last two presidents, Duterte hinted that he would be ready to suffer the same fate when he steps down.

If ever that happens, however, the mayor was sure it will never be about corruption.

“It will be about multiple murder or genocide,” he suggested. (CHITO A. FUENTES)

Duterte guests at Liceo CdO testimonial

by Chito A. Fuentes

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s mere presence during the testimonial dinner of the Liceo de Cagayan University College of Law was enough to guarantee a “record-breaking” event.

This was revealed by Jose Pepe Abbu Jr., Law Students Organization president, who organized the event.

“Even non-Liceo lawyers have inquired whether they can attend the testimonial,” Abbu said.

The testimonial in honor of the alumni who successfully hurdled the 2014 bar exams was slated at the N Hotel in Cagayan de Oro

Abbu disclosed that based on the advanced booking, this testimonial would be a record-breaker in terms of the number of people who have already signified their intention to attend the activity.

The mayor has attracted increasing interest as a possible presidential timber after turning Davao City around as from the killing fields of the 1980s to safest city in the country.

Despite his consistent denials, his supporters have continued to grow in numbers which was proven when he placed a strong third in the last Pulse Asia survey behind Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay.

While Poe, Binay and the recently proclaimed Liberal Party bet Secretary Mar Roxas have all waged national campaigns, Duterte until recently had limited himself to Davao which makes his impressive showing even more significant.

The country’s longest serving city mayor after Edsa, Duterte was prompted to go around the country to promote federalism which he described as the country’s “last card” to prevent a fresh outbreak of violence in Mindanao.

While the mayor had expressed opposition to certain provisions of the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law, Duterte has declared his support for it “to buy time and to bide time”.

The mayor’s soaring popularity was proven when he guested on “Gandang Gabi Vice” on ABS-CBN which debuted on second place on world-wide trending behind only the Wimbledon tennis championship.

This proved that the Duterte magic has captured people from all walks of life particularly OFWs now based in different parts of the world. 

Duterte arrived in Cagayan earlier in the day to grace the baptism of the child of Glenn and lawyer Aimee Torrefranca-Neri.

From Cagayan, Duterte will proceed to Camiguin where he will address a forum on federalism in Catarman.

He will also pay a courtesy call on provincial officials led by Vice Gov. James Ederanga.

Surveys show that Duterte enjoys almost a cult-following in his Southern Mindanao base with a mind-boggling 93%.

Pulse Asia gave Duterte a 37% approval rating, the highest received by any of the top presidentiables but Mindanaoans insist this is still very conservative.

If Duterte changes his mind and caves in to the tremendous pressure to run, he is poised to make history not only as the first Mindanaoan president but also the first local official to jump straight into Malacanang. (CHITO A. FUENTES)