Duterte looking forward to debating with rivals on real issues

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — There’s one fight Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is looking forward to, and it’s not the slapping challenge, nor the gun duel with presidential candidate Mar Roxas. It’s the debate with all of his fellow presidential wanna-bes, including Roxas.

“When the political campaign starts, I will debate with them on any matter under the sun,” Duterte said in an interview with reporters on Monday night.

This after the mayor was told about the clamor of some sectors for him and Roxas to stop the word war and instead discuss issues.

“Bantay ka sa akin (You better watch out)” was Duterte’s warning.

Duterte earlier said he would slap Roxas if he saw the former Interior secretary after the latter claimed Davao City is not peaceful at all.

Roxas cited police data that said Davao’s crime volume for 2014 was more than 14,000. The city police had since corrected him, saying Roxas counted non-index crimes or crimes solved through regular law enforcement activities such as serving of warrants against those charged in courts.

The mayor admitted that Roxas was a close friend, who allegedly engaged in black propaganda when reports about Duterte was running for president came out. Duterte said Roxas’ publicist was behind stories that the mayor had cancer.  It turned out that the mayor’s former wife, Elizabeth, was the one with the throat cancer.

Roxas denied that his camp was behind the story.

After Roxas described as a myth the peace and order situation in Davao City, Duterte retorted by saying his being a Wharton graduate was the real myth.

Roxas claims to be a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Duterte, however, said Roxas graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and not from Wharton.

“Wharton is for MBA. He did not take up MBA,” the mayor said.

“This guy is a fraud,” he said.

The word war escalated after Roxas said he would slap the mayor if he could prove that he was a Wharton graduate.

When asked on Monday night if the slapping challenge between him and Roxas was a manly act, Duterte quickly said: “Barilan na lang.”

“Because these rich people are afraid to die,” the mayor said in jest.  SFM