Sara Duterte says she quarreled with pa over cop’s relief
DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte has disclosed that she and her father, President Duterte, had a quarrel over her decision to replace Task Force Davao chief Senior Supt. Henry Robinson after the deadly blast that killed 14 people and wounded 70 others at the night market on Roxas Avenue here on Sept. 2.
Mayor Duterte said her father disliked her decision to replace Robinson but he eventually acceded.
“Here comes Digong, mouthing again. He also texted me and he was saying many things. I answered him,” Sara said of her latest spat with her father, which took place a few hours after the blast.
“I think it was 6 a.m. Saturday morning,” she said.
“He passed the text to Bong Go. So I said, ‘Bong, are you still the mayor or is it already me?’ Because I’m willing to leave you alone, as in right this moment,” she recounted.
Mayor Duterte repeated that she was indeed “very willing to resign” (if the President insisted on dictating on her).
She said the President appeared to have acceded to her decision to have Robinson replaced when he suddenly burst into the song, “How Do I Live Without You” (a song popularized by Trisha Yearwood), after a moment of silence.
“He gave way,” Mayor Duterte said.
Aside from Robinson, Mayor Sara also announced that she wanted city police director, Senior Supt. Michael John Dubria, replaced.
READ: Sara Duterte sacks Davao cop chief, task force head
An Inquirer source said Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa had already given her a list of senior police officials to choose from but she has yet to decide.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said investigators already have the name of the suspected night market bomber but they were still withholding it pending his arrest.
No shoot-to-kill order
She also stressed to the police that she wanted the suspects arrested alive so she could talk to them and find out who their cohorts were, and their purpose in setting off the bomb.
On Wednesday, police authorities released a computer-aided sketch of one of the suspects but his face was unrecognizable as he wore a mask.
Director Benjamin Magalong, the deputy police chief for operations, said the sketch was produced based on description of witnesses.
The reward money to any individual who can help authorities arrest suspect and three other persons—two of them women—has also increased to P3 million.
Mayor Sara said on Thursday a Davao-City businessman and a law firm donated P500,000 each to the initial P2-million bounty that the city government has offered for the arrest of the suspects.
She said the law firm coursed its donation through Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez.
Duterte said those who have information on the suspects can either dial Central 911 or they can contact 0917-DUTERTE or 0917-3883783 if they live outside of Davao City.
Dela Rosa said police authorities continue to hunt down the suspects.
Meanwhile, authorities said they were taking all bomb-related statements seriously and individuals making jokes about bombs will be arrested and prosecuted.
On Wednesday evening, a passenger of a Davao City-bound bus was arrested and jailed after he threatened to set off a bomb.
PO2 Ean Burgos of the Magsaysay, Davao del Sur police, said the bus driver hurriedly pulled over when the passenger, Roland Engbino of Libungan, North Cotabato, warned that the bus was going to explode. The suspect’s statement caused panic among the passengers but none was seriously injured, Burgos said.
A search of the bus did not turn up any bomb but the suspect was immediately arrested. Earlier this week, two women were also separately arrested but later freed in Davao City after making jokes they had bombs with them while being frisked by guards at the malls they were entering. With a report from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao/TVJ
RELATED STORIES
Sara Duterte loses two of the triplets in her womb — source
Expecting triplets, Sara Duterte loses two
