MANILA, Philippines - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Monday evening dared Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II to a gun duel instead of a fist fight.
"Let's have a gun duel instead. Wealthy people are afraid to die. What should I be afraid of?" Duterte told members of the press during an ambush interview.
This follows Roxas's earlier challenge of a fist fight instead of a slapping match.
"Sampalan? Bakit pa sampalan? Pambabae 'yan. Suntukan na lang, di ba?" Roxas told members of the press during an interview.
READ: Mar to Duterte: Suntukan na lang
Roxas previously challenged Duterte to a slapping match following the latter's claim that the LP presidential candidate is not a graduate of the Wharton School of Economics of the University of Pennsylvania.
Duterte insisted that Roxas's Wharton credential is a myth, following the latter's claim that "peaceful Davao" is a myth.
"He said that ito daw peace and order ng Davao City myth. I would like to ask the presidentiable, you claim to have graduated from Wharton School of Economics, that is a myth," Davao said on his Sunday television program, "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa."
Roxas, however, said that he is willing to be slapped by Duterte if proven that he did not obtain a degree from the Ivy League school.
"I am ready to be slapped by him. He was the one who brought it up. What now? Lalake tayo lahat di ba? He said something. Now what?" Roxas said.
He added that he would write a letter to Wharton so that he can produce documents proving that he earned a degree at the business school.
Duterte insisted that Roxas is not considered a Wharton graduate as he only completed an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
"A Wharton graduate is a person who finishes his master’s degree at Wharton, meaning you are a graduate of MBA (Master in Business Administration) at Wharton. In your case, Mar, you are not, so don’t claim to be a man you cannot be... because you are not. UPenn graduate ka, and not Wharton," Duterte said.
The Wharton School also offers an undergraduate degree in economics with focused areas of study, not just MBA.
Records show that Roxas graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He is included in the official university archives webpage as one of the university's notable alumni: http://www.archives.upenn.edu/people/notables/political/pennworld.html.
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