Duterte says he’s afraid to die

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte admitted that he is afraid of dying as he extolled a Medal of Valor awardee for bravery during a visit to Camp Melchor Upi in Gamu, Isabela last Tuesday.

Since Duterte couldn’t join Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro’s birthday celebration yesterday, he directed his special assistant Christopher Go to give Bacarro a gift.  

“I am giving him something beautiful… not a woman, but a beautiful present,” the President instructed Go in Filipino.

“Sir, I hate to disappoint you. I want to have dinner with you but we are in the field. But if you’d allow me to invite you one of these days,” Duterte told Bacarro.

The President then gave Bacarro a salute. 

“I have faith in Valor awardees because I am, myself, a coward. I am afraid to die. I idolize everyone who is brave,” Duterte said.

Duterte has declared that he wants to die a hero for the country – willing to take the bullet for the Filipino people – to emulate Dr. Jose Rizal.

He has wished for a heroic death rather than dying of old age or disease.

Duterte saluted Bacarro after he was informed that it was the military official’s birthday.

When Bacarro was a young lieutenant in 1991, he led the 6th Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) Active Auxiliary company of the 21st Infantry Battalion in fighting 150 communist rebels in Isabela. 

Despite being wounded, Bacarro scaled a wall surrounding a compound where his CAFGUs were pinned down by enemy fire.

He commandeered a truck and rammed the wall, giving the CAFGUs an exit point, and had his wounded men evacuated, along with a wounded civilian.

His 50-man force suffered three casualties; the communist rebels, 16.

In 2016, Bacarro testified in the Senate and discredited the testimony of alleged Davao death squad member Edgar Matobato, who linked Duterte to extrajudicial killings when he was Davao City mayor.

Bacarro, commanding officer of the 502nd Infantry Brigade of the 5th Division, is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988.