On EDSA Day, Baste warns of ‘looming authoritarian rule’

MANILA, Philippines — As the country celebrated the 39th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution yesterday, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte warned Filipinos of the looming threat of authoritarian rule.

“We must remain vigilant, especially now when the threat of authoritarian rule once again looms over our nation,” Duterte said in a statement.

The Duterte and Marcos families have been at odds after the collapse of the UniTeam alliance of the President and Vice President.

The Davao mayor – youngest son of former president Rodrigo Duterte – bemoaned that the martial law declared in 1972 by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos “left a dark legacy, (as) countless lives were lost, freedoms were stripped away and power was concentrated in the hands of a few.”

His sister Vice President Sara Duterte is preparing for an impeachment trial following allegations of misuse of funds.

On the other hand, the International Criminal Court is probing the former president over alleged crimes against humanity committed during his bloody war on drugs.

The Dutertes benefitted from the 1986 ouster of Marcos, as the former president was appointed officer-in-charge vice mayor of Davao by then president Corazon Aquino.

“Let us honor its legacy by ensuring that history is never distorted, our rights are never trampled upon and our democracy remains intact for future generations. May the darkest times in our history never happen again,” Duterte said.