Rodrigo Duterte —PHOTO FROM BONG GO FACEBOOK PAGE
DAVAO CITY — Amid his known aversion to receiving accolades, the local government here has accorded former President Rodrigo Duterte its highest honor in time for the city’s 87th charter anniversary.
And as expected by many, Duterte was a no-show during the ceremony conferring him the Datu Bago Award last Wednesday evening at Arcadia Event Center, just a few kilometers from his home.
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A day earlier, he spoke before a rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila in support of embattled televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, his close friend and spiritual adviser. It was not known if he was back in this city on Wednesday. There was also no official explanation about his absence during the rites here.
This year, Duterte was the lone recipient of the city-given award to outstanding individuals who have made substantial contributions to the city’s growth and development.
Although it is conferred by the local government, the selection of the awardee rests with the Datu Bago Awardees Organization (DBAO), composed of previous laureates.
‘League of his own’
The award is usually conferred to the Datu Bago recipient by the mayor. But Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the former president’s son, was also absent during the ceremony and likewise gave no official explanation for the absence.
A total of 179 laureates have been conferred since 1969, among them Duterte’s mother Soledad in 1977. The former president had been present during some of the awarding rites in his early years as mayor of this city.
Duterte served the city for over four years as vice mayor, 22 years as mayor, and three years as congressional representative before he won the presidency in 2016.
“The Datu Bago Awardees Organization is honoring a lone awardee this year—Rodrigo Roa Duterte. He is the only awardee because he is in a league of his own,” said Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of DBAO’s board of trustees.
“For some Davaoeños, it is an obvious choice, a no-brainer. For others, it is a controversial choice that needs more scrutiny and debate. For the Datu Bago Board of Trustees, it is time that the man, who led the transformation of Davao City from its turbulent past into one of the most livable and most competitive cities in the Philippines, gets the recognition he deserves,” Braga added.
“And, yes, we are giving it to him, whether he likes it or not,” she further said.
Dignitaries present
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by local and foreign dignitaries, and the descendants of Datu Bago, leader of the indigenous community who led a resistance campaign against Spanish colonization in the 19th century.
During the ceremony, Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain Jr. received the plaque on behalf of Duterte from Braga, after University of Mindanao president and chief executive officer Guillermo Torres Jr. read the citation.
The conferment rites wrapped up with a message read by Quitain on behalf of the absent Mayor Duterte.
“Most of us know that during his long stint as our city mayor, he (the former president) has refused to receive any award or recognition for himself; humbly saying that he’s only doing his job and that he should not be rewarded for doing it well because people, especially in public service, must always do their jobs well. Even for awards given to Davao City under his leadership, he also did not personally receive any of them,” Braga noted. INQ