Mar, Duterte pull back from word war

MANILA, Philippines - There will be no slapping match, fistfight or gun duel between former interior and local government secretary Manuel Roxas II and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, as the two presidential wannabes appear to have pulled back and decided they have better things to do than trade verbal blows – or worse.

Roxas said that while he is ready to face Duterte, he wants to move on from their virulent word war and do what’s best for the country.

“Maybe we should leave the discussions about gun duels, slapping and violence. Clearly, I won’t back down on whatever challenge Mayor Duterte will pose. Clearly, I’m not afraid of him and I will face him,” he said on the sidelines of a COOP-NATCCO party-list event in Cebu.

“What is at stake here are the lives of 100 million Filipinos. What is at stake is the leadership of the country,” he added.

Roxas urged Duterte to just talk about his plans and what he has done for the country. He noted that talks about gun duel, slapping and fistfights would do nothing to address the problems of the country.

“Mayor Digong, let’s level up. Our people deserve better,” the LP presidential bet said, addressing the mayor by his nickname.

“Mudslinging and lies have no place in political discourse,” he added.

While calling for putting political discourse on a higher level, Roxas said he could not help but take note of Duterte’s previous admissions of being a womanizer and of having killed 1,700 people.

“The leader of our country should be a model for the youth. The leader of our country should place importance on human lives. The leader of our country should have respect for women,” Roxas said.

“The words and actions of the leader of the country should be guided by the law and nothing else. The rule of law should prevail in all things. The leader of the country should promote good manners that are appropriate to our culture and our identity as nation,” he added.

Duterte, for his part, said he would not engage Roxas in a fistfight upon the advice of his doctor, who warned him his mumps might get hit.

He added that instead of going to Roxas’ house to fight him, he would send a priest to lecture the former DILG chief on the proper way to behave in public.

Roxas, Duterte added, doesn’t have to apologize as the former just has to make a gesture of peace – like a handshake – and everything would be forgotten.

The Davao City mayor shared his thoughts to reporters Tuesday night at Romulo Café in Quezon City after a meeting with some lawmakers from the National Unity Party (NUP) amid the heavy downpour outside.

Duterte said what enraged Roxas was when he exposed the LP candidate’s falsely claiming that he was a Wharton graduate.

Duterte said he made the exposé after Roxas told a presidential forum at the Ateneo that the concept of peace in Davao City is just a myth.

The University of Pennsylvania website listed Roxas as among its notable alumni. According to the website, Roxas earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics at the Wharton School in 1979.

The friendship between Roxas and Duterte started to turn sour when the Davao mayor accused the LP standard bearer of spreading rumors that he was suffering from throat cancer.

Duterte said the rumor was peddled by a public relations officer of Roxas, veteran newsman Philip Lustre Jr.

Roxas, however, denied spreading the rumor and maintained that he was in no way connected to Lustre.

Roxas’ comment about the criminality in Davao City came a few days after the release of a commissioned Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing Duterte leading all presidential candidates.

Duterte was chosen by 38 percent of respondents, followed by Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay who got 21 percent each. Roxas ranked fourth with 15 percent while Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago got four percent.

Duterte, who projects himself as a leader with a strong stance against crime, was irked by Roxas’ comment and threatened to slap the LP presidential bet if they crossed paths during the campaign period.

On Tuesday, Roxas said that a slapping match is for girls and challenged Duterte to a fistfight instead. Duterte, however, said he preferred to settle the issue through a gun duel.

When asked if their friendship is over following their exchange of tirades, Roxas said: “I was the one who said that I treated him as a friend.  But all relationships start with the truth.”

“He (Duterte) was the one who came up with false statements,” he added.

Roxas said the political discourse is not a telenovela centered on the conflict of two persons.

“This is not about you, Digong. This is not about me. This is about the lives of our people,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he met Duterte Tuesday night at the NUP meeting but they did not slap each other, and instead reminisced about the days when they were colleagues in the House of Representatives.

“It (meeting) was very friendly. We didn’t talk politics by doing so, it confirms that we’re not enemies,” Belmonte said.

“We just reminisced about common experiences we had when we were both in Congress,” he said.

Duterte spoke about his platform of governance during the NUP gathering.

“I just listened to him. I was there as the Speaker,” he said.

Duterte earlier said he could name the criminals he had killed as Belmonte had dared him to do, but the latter should slap Roxas for him in exchange. – With Ramon Efren Lazaro, Marvin Sy