Duterte desperate to regain ratings – Mar

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has resorted to mouthing all sorts of lies in a desperate attempt to regain public attention and political mileage, Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II said yesterday.

Roxas said Duterte betrayed his desperation by continuing to malign and belittle his role in the relief and rehabilitation efforts for provinces devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

Roxas was secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government when Yolanda struck the country and left over 6,300 people dead, mostly in the Leyte.

“At first, Duterte said that he did not want to debate with a candidate who is in the fourth place (in the surveys). But now, he is the one in fourth place,” Roxas said.

Roxas said he has sustained his increase in the surveys leading up to the May 9 general elections.

“Of course, he is struggling to stay relevant. He used to say that I’m very capable, that I’m not corrupt. Now, he says all sorts of lies about me. So which is which, Digong?” Roxas said, calling Duterte by his nickname.

Roxas said he refused back down from Duterte’s accusations, and even challenged him to a fistfight if the mayor wanted a match.

Roxas said Duterte has the character of picking only on lowly people but gets rattled when someone fights back.

Answer charges

The Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid, for its part, challenged Vice President Jejomar Binay and his family to be prepared to answer the allegations against them before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Coalition spokesman and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez said the ombudsman would be the proper forum that the Binays were talking about when the Vice President refused to attend the Senate hearings.

“No matter how long the process, the corrupt will end up in jail. This could be the reason why the Binays had refused to face the Senate,” Gutierrez said.

“They cannot claim that they were not given the chance to speak. They said they are waiting for the proper forum. They should just explain before the ombudsman,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Aquino will campaign for Roxas and the administration daang matuwid ticket starting next week, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said yesterday.  – With Jess Diaz, Alexis Romero