Alan to Leni: Duterte leadership not about violence

MANILA, Philippines  — Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday defended anew his running mate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, from attacks by Liberal Party vice-presidential bet Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo.

Robredo earlier told the Philippine STAR that her hometown, Naga City, was able to be developed the same way Duterte improved Davao City without subscribing to the mayor's brand of leadership.

WATCH: Robredo: We got same results in Naga without Duterte-style leadership

"Many of those who are moved by Mayor Duterte's leadership are inspired by his achievements in promoting peace and good governance. They are certainly not advocates of violence as many of them are in fact victims of crime. What they want is a leader with bold solutions and swift action, a leader that will restore order, rule of law and equality. This is what Mayor Duterte and his brand of leadership bring," Cayetano said in a statement.

Cayetano, who is the running mate of Duterte, who had earlier formalized his presidential bid, has also disagreed with Robredo's comparison between Davao City and Naga.

"With all due respect to Rep. Leni, I think she is wide off the mark on this one. Davao's crime volume is way below compared to Naga or Metro Manila, which are currently at alarming levels. This is despite Davao City being bigger compared to Metro Manila and Naga, and home to a diverse population composed of Christians, Muslims, other ethnic groups and groups of opposing ideologies," Cayetano said.

"Instead of attacking Mayor Duterte, let's duly recognize his accomplishments, learn and find ways how his success can be replicated in other cities," Cayetano added.

Cayetano said that based on the latest data released by user-contributed survey site Numbeo, Davao is now the fourth safest city in the world with a low crime index of 17.94. The Police Regional Office in Davao also reported a decrease in the entire region's crime volume from January to March this year as compared to the same period of last year.

Naga's crime volume, on the other hand, has reached higher levels from January to July this year. Within the period, the city's total crime volume has reached 5,692, only a few points smaller than the combined total crime volume of the other five cities in Bicol (6,026). The city's crime volume can be considered remarkable given its population of only 192,193, which is relatively small compared to the combined population of 716, 963 of other Bicol cities.

Cayetano, meanwhile, called for an end to "pointless political bickering" and instead work collectively in making the Philippines a safe place for Filipinos.

"Huwag na sana tayo mag-siraan. Let's just work together in making our country safe for our people. Ang kailangan ng bansang ito ay matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon. Hindi madali ang pagsugpo sa krimen at paghuli sa masasamang loob, pero nagawa ito ni Mayor Duterte sa Davao. Kaya rin niya itong gawin sa buong bansa," the senator said.