DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 February) – After bidding the crowd goodbye during the “candlelight prayer rally”of Hakbang ng Maisug in Cebu City on Sunday evening, former President Rodrigo Duterte made a pitch for his daughter Sara, currently the Vice President, urging them to support her bid for the Presidency in 2028.
Duterte did not spell out “Presidency” but “posisyon na nasyonal” (national post) which Sara already has as Vice President and Education Secretary He was apparently referring to the higher post of President. To recall, Duterte was disappointed in October 2021 when his daughter filed a certificate of candidacy for Vice President instead of President.
Sara garnered the highest number of votes in the May 2022 polls, with 32.2 million votes, over half a million more than the 31.6 million votes for UniTeam partner and Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Duterte spoke for 71 minutes, mostly in Cebuano, and on the last minute, urged the crowd that gathered at the South Road Properties in Cebu City, to go home. “Subi na ninyo. Subi na. Sige na” (Go now),he said, andwaved his right hand while saying “babay” (goodbye). The crowd chanted “Du-ter-te, Du-ter-te, Du-ter-te…”
Duterte replied: “Kon muabot man ang panahon ug mutugot ang Ginoo, ang akong anak, kinsa man sa ila, pero tan-aw nako si Inday (Sara), ug naa siya’y ambisyon ug unsang posisyon nga nasyonal, suportahi lang ninyo. Basin baya. Bisaya man gihapon na. Kaliwat gihapog Cebu” (When the time comes and God allows it, my child, whoever it is, but I believe it is Inday, and she has an ambition for a national post, please support her. Who knows. She is also Bisaya. She has roots in Cebu).
The Cebu rally on February 25, organized by “Hakbang ng Maisug,” was the second since the Davao City rally on January 28.
“Hakbang ng Maisug” (an awkward mix of Filipino and Cebuano that literally means ‘Step of the Brave’) was launched during the Leaders’ Forum at the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City. From there, the participants moved to the rally where Duterte spoke.
Leoncio Evasco, political adviser and campaign manger of Duterte when he ran for President in 2016 and Duterte’s first Cabinet Secretary, explained during the Leader’s Forum that “Hakbang ng Maisug” means “Step forward of the brave, the fearless Filipinos who are gathered here this day.”
Asked by MindaNews after the forum whether it would go nationwide like the “listening sessions” they mounted nationwide in 2014 and 2015 in preparation for Duterte’s Presidential bid, Evasco smiled.
On December 1, 2014, in the same hotel where the Leaders’ Forum was held, a major event was launched in preparation for Duterte’s Presidential bid for 2016: the Mindanao Leaders’ Summit on Federalism which paved the way for Duterte to go around the country for “listening sessions.”
A Duterte campaign insider later told MindaNews that they needed a platform that would allow Duterte to move around the country without being accused of early campaigning.
Sara did not show up at the Cebu rally but Duterte’s eldest and youngest sons were present: Paolo, the first district Representative of Davao City and Sebastian, the mayor of Davao City. Sebastian in the Leaders’ Forum in Davao City in January called on President Marcos to resign.
Addressing President Marcos during the Davao City rally, former President Duterte said: “Kaibigan kita, pag pinilit mo ito, lalabas ka ng Malacanang kagaya nung panahon na pinalayas kayo” (You are my friend but if you push for this, you will leave Malacanang the same way your father did when he was ousted).
He appealed to Marcos, who attended the “Bagong Pilipinas” rally at the Luneta Park in Manila earlier in the evening, to stop these moves because this will spell trouble. “Magkagulo.”
He reminded Marcos that he has only one term as President (Marcos ends his term on June 30, 2028) and warned that if he does not stop the alleged “People’s Initiative” to amend the Constitution, the rally in Davao City “will multiply all over the Philippines and there will be trouble.”
Duterte’s 71-minute speech in Cebu, was longer by 26 minutes than his Davao City rally speech but Duterte did not repeat his Davao City warnings and criticisms against President Marcos.
He said several Presidents have proposed amendments to the Constitution on the pretext of amending only the economic provisions but in reality were eyeing extending term limits.
Duterte said he is not for Charter Change (ChaCha) through the alleged “People’s Initiative” that was actually politicians’ initiative but he would support Charter Change “for as long as there (are) no vested interests nakapatong diha.”
He said the “People’s Initiative” that was attempted in January did not take off because it was not initiated by the people but by politicians.
The Commission on Elections suspended all proceedings on People’s Initiative on January 29.
But Duterte said proponents of ChaCha are apparently looking at another mode of amending the Constitution, through Congress convening as a constituent assembly.
He said changes in the Constitution, whether economic or even extending terms or returning to the two four-year terms, “okay ko basta dili mupabor sa galingkod karon” (I am okay for as long as it will not favor the incumbent).
“Ayaw usba ang Constitution para mupabor kanimo” (Do not change the Constitution to favor yourself).
He said ChaCha is “okay basta si Marcos mu-commit sa tao dili na mudagan” (okay if Marcos will commit to the people that he will not run) for an extended term, that he would stick to his six-year term.
“Be happy with that” (six-year term), he said.
The term of office of Presidents before President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared martial law in 1972, was four years with one reelection. The 1987 Constitution changed this to six years with no reelection.
Marcos Sr. was elected in 1965 and re-elected in 1969. His second and last term was supposed to have ended in 1973 but he declared martial law in 1972, paving the way for him to rule as a dictator from 1972 until he was ousted by People Power in February 1986.
MindaNews asked Evasco on Monday when and where the next rally will be and will it be in Manila? The Davao and Cebu rallies were held four Sundays apart.
Evasco replied they are still meeting on it.
By March, it will be seven months to the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2025 polls and 14 months to the May 12, 2025 elections when the nation elects 12 Senators, members of the House of Representatives and local government officials, and the first Bangsamoro Parliament.
Duterte’s long-time aide, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and former police chief Ronald “Bato dela Rosa” were elected to the Senate in 2019. The two are expected to seek reelection.
The next Presidential election is on May 14, 2028. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
