Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez. SCREENGRAB FROM FACEBOOK
A LIBERAL Party (LP) lawmaker is not impressed by the tough-talking Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
At a press forum Tuesday, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez belittled the achievements of Duterte as mayor of Davao City for over two decades, saying he could do better in half the time.
Dropping a string of invectives and other cuss words, Fernandez adopted a posture of bravado in saying what he thought of Duterte’s ballyhooed entry into the presidential race, suggesting that the latter was overrated.
“Give me 10 years, and I can improve any town,” he told reporters at the House of Representatives.
Fernandez, a former actor and third-term congressman, said it took Duterte over two decades, serving as mayor for seven terms, to transform Davao City into one of the world’s safest cities.
“How many years did he serve as mayor? Twenty-one years, right? He even became congressman, and vice mayor. Give me half his term. In 10 years, I can double what he did in Davao City,” he said.
Duterte announced this week his presidential run which could pave the way for a five-way race with front-runner Sen. Grace Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay, LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
READ: Duterte’s 2016 bid by substitution a ‘bad precedent,’ solon says
The Davao mayor has a strong following on social media and in Mindanao, but his alleged links to vigilante “death squads” in his city have alarmed rights advocates.
At the forum, Fernandez, who is running for Sta. Rosa City mayor, seemed to mimic Duterte’s penchant for making off-the-cuff remarks, usually laden with cuss words.
The solon used Filipino cuss words at least thrice while fielding questions from the media.
He also mocked Duterte’s notoriety as a trigger-happy politician. Asked what he would do to combat the drug menace in Sta. Rosa City, he replied: “Let’s kill them.” Then he clarified: “Let’s kill poverty in the country, but let’s not kill them (drug lords).”
Fernandez said that while he “admired” Duterte’s track record, it took the latter a considerable length of time to accomplish what he did.
“If he could do it in Davao, it could be done in the Philippines. But it does not follow that it’s only that person who can do it,” he said, referring to Duterte.
Some LP lawmakers, however, said Duterte would have to battle serious challenges to his eligibility to run for President.
READ: Duterte may no longer run for president by substitution – election lawyer
Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, a lawyer, said a number of legal luminaries had already raised “valid points” against Duterte substituting for PDP-Laban’s Martin Diño.
“From what we have seen, this looks as complicated or even more complicated than the case of Senator Poe,” he said.
Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of the LP-led Team Daang Matuwid, said it was now up to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to rule on Duterte’s eligibility to run.
“The rules on substitution are clear, and the most important requirement for a substitution is that the person being substituted has actually filed a valid certificate of candidacy (COC). Was the COC filed by Diño valid, given that there are questionable parts in it?” he said.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. also doubts the Comelec will allow him to run for the presidency.
“His entry to the race will have a big impact, but like I said there may be some legal obstacles,” added Belmonte.
In an interview with reporters, Belmonte said that Duterte’s decision to delay his candidacy beyond the Oct. 16 Comelec deadline could have backfired on him.
“I’m scared that he might have waited too long. There are legal problems if he can validly step in by substituting for a candidate who has already withdrawn,” said Belmonte. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan