“I considered [Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte] my friend. But friendship should be based on truth.”
This was what Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas said about the recent exchange of harsh words between him and one of his opponents in the presidential race.
“Ako pa nga ang nagsasabi, tinuring ko siyang kaibigan. Kaibigan ang tawag ko sa kanya. Pero lahat ng samahan, lahat ng pagkakaibigan, ay nagsisimula sa katotohanan. Siya ang nagbigay ng mga katagang hindi totoo eh,” Roxas told reporters in an interview in Cebu City.
Roxas and Duterte’s friendship seemed to have ended when the two started trading potshots from the mayor’s leadership style to the former interior secretary’s educational attainment.
But Roxas reiterated that their rift, which started when he dismissed as a “myth” the claim of Duterte that Davao City was one of the safest cities in the world, should be a nonissue.
“Hindi ito issue na parang telenovela na hidwaan sa pagitan ng dalawang tao. This is not about you, Digong. This is not about me. This is about the lives of our people,” he said.
Although Roxas admitted that he was disappointed with himself for challenging Duterte to a brawl, he maintained he’s ready to face his election rival in any event.
Asked if he’s willing to have a one-on-one debate with Duterte, Roxas said: “Hindi ko aatrasan si Mayor Duterte sa kahit anong bagay.”