Davao City in celebratory mood

As he had announced last Saturday evening before a hurriedly huddled press conference, past President Rodrigo R. Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for city mayor of Davao Monday, ending speculations he might run for senator. He was accompanied by his younger son, the incumbent City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, who also filed his CoC for vice mayor.

In last Saturday’s presscon, Duterte gamely consulted the print and broadcast journalists as to what position the people they touched base with wanted him to run for. To a man, the response was “city mayor.” The repartee, both in English and Cebuano, was brief. “It’s mayor then, Baste will be vice mayor.”

It was the kind of banter that made not a few media men skeptical about whether he meant what he said. He even kidded about his age. Duterte then explained that at his age he could no longer endure the rigors of a national campaign. He assured his constituents, however, that when he returns as mayor, he will continue his fight against illegal drugs and all criminal syndicates. He then called on the Commission on Human Rights to advise members of crime syndicates to leave Davao City before he assumes office. He said it was on this platform that he ran undefeated for 23 years, first for mayor and later for president.

FPRRD and Baste arrived at the Comelec office late Monday afternoon and were met by a throng of supporters chanting, “Du-ter-te! Du-ter-te!” The crowd had grown bigger by the time they left the Comelec.

Duterte is not without an adversary. Earlier, a Rodolfo Cubos and a Rowena Caballes, both running as independents, filed their CoCs for mayor. Karlo Nograles, PRRD’s Cabinet secretary and spokesperson and later appointed chairman of the Civil Service Commission by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., filed his CoC for mayor after submitting his letter of resignation to Marcos.

He was earlier seen at the Comelec office. When asked if he had filed his CoC for mayor, he said he showed up to suppport Augusto Javier Campos, a cousin, who is running for representative of the 2nd District of Davao City. His appearance and endorsement must have prompted him to resign from the CSC although this was after the fact. He finally filed his CoC for mayor Tuesday morning.

This is the first time Duterte is facing three adversaries in the mayoralty race. He is unfazed, however, saying the electorate should be given a choice of candidates.

The midterm elections will see a new and younger crop of wannabes from traditional political roots.

Aside from former President Duterte, Baste, and reelectionist Rep. Paolo “Polong” Duterte of the 1st District, his grandsons Rigo and Omar are running for councilor and congressman of the 2nd District of Davao City, respectively.

Migz Nograles, sister of Karlo, filed her CoC also last Tuesday for representative of the 1st District versus Polong.

The candidacies of siblings Karlo and Migz created a buzz about their sense of loyalty to Duterte even as the latter himself welcomed all fronts.

The Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, a local party allied with the PDP-Laban chaired by FPRRD, has 33 candidates vying for 24 council seats. They will all campaign on the same stage.

At this stage of the game, the city is in a celebratory mood with the return of their Tatay Digong — the man who cleared the city of crime syndicates and freed it from the vicious reign of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its murderous New People’s Army.

From what was once dubbed the “killing field of the Philippines,” Davao is now known as the 2nd Most Peaceful City in Southeast Asia. That is indubitably due to the Duterte brand of leadership.