Former President Rodrigo Duterte ‘begged’ Davaoeños earlier this week not to disown his family in Davao City as they have always acted in the public’s best interest.
Duterte said this as crowds came from various parts of the city and nearby areas to receive gifts at the family’s ancestral home in Taal, Bangkal village.
“In my years as mayor, vice mayor, congressman, and then President, l have never forgotten your interests. (As President), the grandest that l have given you could be the (Davao City) coastal (bypass) road. Don’t abandon the Dutertes because the Dutertes had never forsaken you,” the former president said in a speech.
Since 1988, the Duterte family has consistently held leadership of the city government, except for the years 1998 to 2001 when Benjamin de Guzman served as mayor.
Elected as mayor in 1988, Duterte held the position for three consecutive terms over the next decade. Term limits prevented him from running for reelection in 1998, so he shifted to national politics, winning a seat in the House of Representatives as Davao’s representative.
After completing his term in 2001, he returned to Davao City and was re-elected as mayor. When term limits restricted him again in 2010, he assumed the vice mayoral role while his daughter, Sara, took over as mayor.
Sara also served as Davao City mayor from 2007 to 2010 and 2016 to 2022. Sara’s sibling, Sebastian (also known as “Baste”), currently holds the position. Their brother, Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, has been the Davao City’s First District Representative since 2019.
Duterte urged his supporters to remember that he is running for mayor alongside his son, Baste, explaining that he chose Sebastian as his running mate to ensure that “a Duterte will still be mayor” in the event of his untimely death in office.
Before filing his candidacy for the 2025 mayoral race, Duterte had dismissed speculations about his return to local politics, citing his age as a reason for stepping back.
Meanwhile, Duterte downplayed the controversies surrounding Sara, joking that she is “being mauled” in the House and dismissing the recent inquiries as mere political persecution.
For context, Sara is currently facing three impeachment complaints in the House of Representatives, which were filed following an extensive congressional investigation into her alleged misuse of confidential funds.
“The next time she faces you, she could be the second Duterte to become president,” Duterte said. (TCSP)
