Landslide win for Davao’s Duterte

DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was nowhere to be found on Sunday night at the session hall of the Sangguniang Panglungsod here when the City Board of Canvassers proclaimed him as one of the winners in the May 10 elections.

Nevertheless, it was a thunderous applause that greeted Duterte, who garnered a margin of 152,205 votes over his rival, former Mayor Benjamin de Guzman.

Local observers noted that the landslide win was a clear manifestation of the silent approval of majority of Davao City’s residents on Duterte’s leadership.

The mayor was also able to bring with him to victory 20 candidates of his local party, Hugpong sa Katawhan, for the 24 seats in the city council.

"It only shows that the people still have a very high level of confidence in the mayor. And to think that he was also able to carry with him most of us who were in his party," said second district councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, who placed second among the eight who made it in his district.

Duterte’s style had instilled fear in criminals here. He was widely believed to be behind the Davao Death Squad vigilante group responsible for the spate of extra-judicial killings in the city.

"Let them believe what they want to believe. Let them file cases if they want. I don’t care," Duterte repeatedly lashed back at critics, among whom are militant and church groups decrying human rights violations.

Second District Rep.Vincent Garcia, who also won his second term, told The STAR that the mayor’s re-election only proves Duterte has remained a very strong political force to reckon with.

Aside from Duterte, among those who were proclaimed Sunday night were the city’s three incumbent congressmen — Reps. Prospero Nograles (first district), Garcia (second district) and Elias Ruy Lopez (third district). Duterte’s running mate, Vice Mayor Luis Bonguyan also made it.

The winners in the race for the city’s 24 council seats include: Mabel Acosta, Angela Librado, Leo Avila, Emmanuel Galicia, Pilar Braga, Bonifacio Militar, Nilo Abellera, Peter Lavina, Jimmy Dureza, Danilo Dayanghirang, Diosdado Mahipus, Rey Cabling, Susabel Reta, Gerald Bangoy, Nenita Orcullo, Dante Apostol, Wilberto Al-ag, Rene Lopez, Domingo Daludo, Vic Advincula, Conrado Baluran, Jose Luis Villafuerte, Jesus Zozobrado and Paz Mata.