Duterte now has family’s blessing

FANS of Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte, take note of this:

Sara Duterte, Rody’s feisty daughter and former Davao City mayor, has given her father the go-signal to run for the presidency.

On her Instagram account on Wednesday, Sara said she shaved her head as a signal that she was allowing her father to run for President.

In turning down popular clamor for him to run for the highest office—for the nth time—Rody Duterte cited Sara’s letter to him.

“Do not run for President. You don’t owe anything to anybody, and you’ve done more than enough for your country,” her letter, which Rody read in public on Monday, went.

But on her Instagram account on Wednesday, Sara said, “Nagpa upaw na lang ko samtang naghulat #Duterte 2016 #kalbo para sa pagbabago #NohairWecare bisan walay kuwarta, bisan walay makinarya, bisan mapildi #justDUit.”

(Translation: I made myself bald while waiting for #Duterte 2016 #bald for change #NohairWecare Even without money or the machinery, even if [he] loses #justDUit.)

Sara and her father have a love-hate relationship.

Among his children, she is the one who talks back to him although he defers to her. Her siblings are awestruck by their controversial old man.

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Duterte has been saying he would have to consult his family on whether he should run for the presidency.

Now that Sara, one of the loves of his life, has given him permission to do so , there’s no reason for Duterte not to run for the country’s highest office.

The statement he sometimes gives that he’s too old and, therefore, too weak for the rigors of the presidency, is a futile attempt at coyness.

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If Duterte doesn’t run, he’s turning his back on his country which needs him at this time.

The declared presidential candidates—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Vice President Jojo Binay and Sen. Grace Poe—can’t match Duterte’s qualifications.

Roxas may have integrity but he’s indecisive and always tugs at his mother Judy’s apron strings.

Poe may have integrity like Roxas but she has no experience in governance; besides she hasn’t done anything significant for the country yet.

Binay may have had a long experience in governance as mayor of Makati City, but he’s accused of being corrupt.

Duterte has experience in governance, has no reputation of being corrupt and is a  decisive leader.

The clamor for him to run for President is getting louder by the day.

The citizenry knows that Duterte is the solution to the problems of drugs and criminality, and corruption in government.

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Mar has vowed to continue President Noy’s daang matuwid (straight path) style of governance should he get elected.

Don’t they get goose bumps invoking that slogan?

While P-Noy has been accusing his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and his political opponents of being corrupt, he seems to ignore the illegal activities of his allies or subordinates.

Take, for example, alleged irregularities in the P1.2-billion helicopter deal which called for supplying 21 refurbished UH-1H “Huey” choppers to the Air Force.

The helicopters delivered to the country were reportedly defective.

Officials of the Department of Defense led by Secretary Voltaire Gazmin were allegedly involved in the deal, according to a whistle-blower.

But Gazmin et al. have not received even a reprimand from P-Noy.