COTABATO City, Philippines—Mayor Japal Guiani of this city defended beleaguered Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who punched a court sheriff after he ignored her last-minute appeal to postpone the demolition of shanties in Davao City last week.
Guiani said Duterte was simply preventing violence that could have endangered lives, just days after the flashflood that had claimed at least 30 lives in Davao City.
Guiani said on Sunday he understood the stress under which Duterte had been working, grappling with a disaster and then protecting illegal settlers from losing the only homes they had.
“I was lucky to have only one fatality, a four-year old girl who drowned, when compared with what happened in Davao that had a death toll of 30 or so,” said Guiani.
He said he was not condoning what Duterte did but that he could see why Duterte, in the heat of the moment, blew her top when the court sheriff ignored her appeal for a two-hour delay in the demolition of squatter shanties.
Duterte punched Sheriff Abe Andres for not acceding to her proposal to postpone the demolition to prevent violent clashes between the demolition team and the residents.
Guiani said he heard that Duterte hurriedly left the flood-ravaged Matina village when she learned that squatter families were starting to throw stones at the demolition team.
Guiani said that while he thought “the mayor’s unguarded outburst that turned physical was uncalled for,” he also understood Duterte’s desire to prevent violence and save lives.
Guiani was distributing relief goods donated by the Cotabato City Institute to evacuees of Bagua village on Sunday.
Guiani said Duterte prevented what could have been a bloody event.
“I don’t think that was a display of arrogance; I would call it a spur-of-the-moment response to a pressing problem that needs the close coordination of agencies with the chief executive, especially in the aspect of saving lives from possible danger and bloodshed,” Guiani said.