Duterte tells Baste: ‘If you’re mayor and you don’t know how to kill, start learning tonight’

Sebastian “Baste” Duterte shown here with sister Sara Duterte. CONTRIBUTED FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY—Three days before election day, President Rodrigo Duterte clarified to people here he was not supporting any presidential candidate as he campaigned for his children in a huge crowd that gathered at the San Pedro Street here late Friday night.

“I’m not supporting any President, it’s up to you whom you will vote for, I’m not going to tell you, I’m neutral but for the Senate, don’t vote for that American senator,” he said in Cebuano, as he launched his attack on Senator Richard Gordon.

The President, who acceded to the invitation of his youngest son Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte to join the local meeting de avance, thanked the people of Davao for electing him first as mayor in 1988, then, as congressman in 1998, as vice mayor in 2010 and later, in 2016, as the country’s president.

“Pila na ka henerasyon ang pagserbisyo, di nako matugkad, nagpasalamat jud ko ninyo, kinsa ma’y nagtuo nga modagan ko pagka-presidente? Ug kinsa may magtuo nga modaug pud ko? (For how many generations of public service, I can’t express my thank deeply enough. Who would have believed that I would run for president and who would have believed that I would win?)

I can’t find the right statement nganong nagpresidente ko, nganong nidaug jud ko (why I became president, why I won)” he said, still speaking in Cebuano, as he bade the people goodbye during his last remaining days in power. He said he was already preparing to return to civilian life.

But this city’s former mayor has not toned down on his warning against drug pushers, nor against his critics.

He also told his son Sebastian, who is running for mayor, that if he didn’t know how to kill, he’d better learn it fast. “Og mayor ka, Baste, kung di ka kabalo mopatay, pagsugod na, pagtuon na karung gabii, kay ang mayor kung di mopatay, mahadlok mopatay, may problema jud mo. (If you’re mayor, Baste, and you don’t know how to kill—you have to start learning tonight—because if the mayor don’t know how to kill or is afraid to kill—you will have a big problem),” he said, still speaking in Cebuano and reiterating what he said about the viciousness of drug addicts and criminals.

Both Rep. Paolo Duterte and Mayor Sara Duterte were not around during the President’s speech close to 10 p.m. Friday.

The Davao City meeting de avance in San Pedro St. here, which blocked at least three adjacent thoroughfares to traffic, was not included in the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) BBM-Sara rally.

The Davao city mayor, who is running for vice president with Ferdinand Marcos Jr., earlier said at the start of the campaign they had not scheduled any BBM-Sara rally in Davao City, which some observers believe could be in deference to her father, who earlier blamed Marcos for persuading her to run for vice president when she, Sara, used to be leading the popularity survey for president.

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