Roxas on Duterte’s ‘name-calling’: Is that all he can say?

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (left) and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILES

The presidency is not about being good at insulting rivals. That was former interior secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’s view when asked about Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s name-calling during the second presidential debate on Sunday.

Roxas and Duterte engaged in a verbal tussle during several segments of the debate held in University of the Philippines Cebu. The most memorable, however, was when Duterte called the ruling party’s presidential bet a “pretentious leader” and a “fraud.”

READ: Duterte tells Roxas, ‘You’re a pretentious leader’

Roxas reiterated his earlier statement that Duterte could not eliminate illegal drugs because Davao City itself was not safe from it. He said Duterte was peddling a “myth” by claiming that Davao City is free from drugs.

“You are claiming credit that is not yours. You are a pretentious leader,” Duterte said when Roxas claimed as his achievement the arrest of drug dealers and criminals while he was interior secretary.

After the debate, Roxas held a press conference. He was asked about how the other candidates interacted with him.

On Duterte, he said, “Para sa akin, nakikita ng ating kababayan ang pagkapangulo ay hindi madaan sa pagkapatutsada. Ang pagkapangulo ay hindi nadadaan sa pasiga-siga. Ang pagkapangulo ay nadadaan sa liderato.”

(For me, our people see that the presidency cannot be won through insinuations. The presidency cannot be won by being a tough guy. The presidency will be won through leadership)

“Ganyan ba ang uri ng liderato ni Mayor Digong Duterte? Yan na lang ba ang kanyang masasabi? Mga patutsada, name-calling, mga kung anong sinasabi? Wala sa isyu, wala sa sustanysa, wala sa laman,” he added.

(Is that the kind of leadership Mayor Digong Duterte espouses? Is that the only thing he can say? Insinuations, name-calling? There is no issue, no substance, no content.)

Roxas said there was a lot at stake when one becomes president — the life of people, the economy and foreign relations.

“Lahat ng bagay na ito pag hindi niya ba nakuha ang gusto niya, pag hindi niya maunawaan ang isyu, magna-name-calling na lang siya?” he said of the mayor.

(In all these, when he doesn’t get what he wants, when he doesn’t understand the issue, will he just resort to name-calling?)

Asked if he was offended by how Duterte addressed him during the debate, he said, “Hindi eh. Kilala ko si Digong. Kung nang diyan na lang ang kanyang argumentation, eh tanggapin na natin na yan.”

(No. I know Digong. If his argumentation is up to that level only then we just have to accept that.)

Roxas said that while they were given more time to explain themselves during the second debate, it’s not good for the people to see the candidates insulting each other.

“Ano ba ito, nasa bar ba tayo na nagbabatuhan lamang ng patutsada? Nasa kanto ba tayo na nagbabatuhan ng patutsada? Para sa akin ang pagkapangulo ay tungkol sa pagkaliderato,” he said.

(Are we in a bar, throwing insults at each other? For me, the presidency is about leadership.)