Father-daughter team seeks to keep power in Davao City

By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 19:41:00 11/30/2009

Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Politics


DAVAO CITY — It’s a Duterte-Duterte tandem for the city’s top most positions, facing old foes who have banded in an apparent bid to challenge their popularity and strength.

Vice Mayor Sara Duterte on Monday filed her certificate of candidacy (CoC) for mayor. She also filed the CoC of her father, Rodrigo, for vice mayor.

The Dutertes will be up against the tandem of House Speaker Prospero Nograles and former Mayor Benjamin de Guzman, who was allied with Duterte in the past. De Guzman defeated Nograles in 1998, a triumph which was credited to the support of Duterte.

Nograles, who earlier said that running for any position in Davao— a city that he called “small-time”— did not interest him, filed his CoC Saturday, saying Davao City needed a fresh form of governance.

To which, Sara said: “All of us are aware that Congressman Nograles is not an alternative politician. In fact, we are all aware that he is known for being traditional politician. And he talks nonsense.”

“He said in the past that Davao City is small time. Maybe the city is small time for him but for the Dutertes, the city is important for us. And we are very happy that the people are there to back us on this (running the city),” she said.

Sara, also called Inday, said she only learned about the decision of her father an hour before she filed his CoC. She said there was no discussion between her and her father regarding their political careers.

“His choices are either to run for Congress or to run as vice mayor. I really don’t know his reasons. But if I were to speculate, he is running for vice mayor because he is not a bully,” she said.

Had the mayor opted to run for Congress, he would have been up against Karlo Nograles, the son and chief of staff of the Speaker, somebody the Dutertes felt they could beat handily in the race.

Sara, on the other hand, said they were preparing to battle with Nograles who said that he would “rely on his strength and not on the weakness of his opponent.”

“I haven’t seen any of what he calls as his strength. And I don’t know what kind of strength was he referring to,” Sara said.

Upon the filing of his CoC, Nograles said the fight against the Dutertes would be like the “anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.” He added that his government would address the cases of summary executions that happened under the Duterte administration.

“And since I am an ardent Pacquiao supporter, I'll be the Pacquaio in this fight. Me and my son will give them a good fight,” Nograles said.

Duterte called Nograles a crybaby or “kahilakon.”

“How can you be Pacquiao when I and Pacquiao are the same? We were never defeated. And how many times I defeated you? In 1992, I left you with 114,000 votes,” Duterte said.

He said Nograles would need P1 billion to win. The money, he said, would be used to buy votes.

“So you think you can solve it (the problem of vigilante killings) when you are even scared to chase away a rabid dog? I cannot even solve it and that’s the reason why I gave up control over the police and now you think you can do it? You are not made to do it with your kind of character. Why? Because you are afraid to die,” Duterte said.


Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20091130-239385/Father-daughter-team-seeks-to-keep-power-in-Davao-City