Admin coalition to Duterte: Act like a serious candidate

MANILA, Philippines - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte should act like a serious candidate now that a division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has junked the disqualification cases against him, the administration coalition said on Thursday.

Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid spokesman and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez said Duterte should be more careful when issuing statements and should not take them back later on.

“Congratulations to him. He is now a true candidate. I hope he will act like a serious candidate and should stop being a 'pabebe,'” Gutierrez said.   

Pabebe is a colloquial term that refers to someone who projects himself as cute or lovable. It is also being used to describe someone who views himself as an important person.

“He (Duterte) should think first before delivering a statement,” Gutierrez said.

On Wednesday, the Comelec First Division dismissed all disqualification cases against Duterte due to lack of merit.

The poll body junked the petitions filed by broadcaster Ruben Castor, University of the Philippines Student Council head John Paulo de las Nieves, and disqualified presidential bets Elly Pamatong and Rizalito David.

The petitioners questioned Duterte’s substitution for Martin Diño as standard bearer of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

The Comelec division said Diño had filed a valid certificate of candidacy (COC) for president, which he can withdraw under Section 73 of the Omnibus Election Code. The same law also allows for substitution until Dec. 10, 2015.

The poll body said it did not find any material misrepresentation in Duterte’s COC. The petitioners were given five days to file a motion asking the Comelec division to reconsider its ruling.

Gutierrez said Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II would no longer engage in a word war with Duterte. He said the administration candidate would rather talk about platforms than trade insults.  

“Mar has no plans to dignify the insults and bullying of Mayor Duterte. If he wants a decent conversation, they should face each other in a debate on issues,” Gutierrez said.

Roxas and Duterte had a series of verbal exchanges that threatened to escalate into a slapping match and a gun duel.

The two used to be friends but their relationship turned sour after rumors about the Davao mayor’s alleged bout with cancer circulated.

Duterte denied that he has cancer and accused the camp of Roxas of spreading the false information. Roxas claimed he had nothing to do with the rumor.

Last December, Roxas dismissed as a “myth” the claim that Davao City under Duterte was one of the most peaceful in the country. 

The tough talking mayor responded by saying that Roxas is not a true graduate of Wharton, the business school of the University of Pennsylvania. The mayor also threatened to slap Roxas if they cross paths during the campaign period.

Roxas then challenged Duterte to a slapping match, saying he should be permitted to slap the mayor if he proves that he graduated from Wharton. 

Roxas later on said he and Duterte should just engage in a fist fight but the Davao mayor said the issue should be settle through a gun duel.

Duterte’s tirades against Roxas however, did not end there. He claimed that Roxas broke down during the aftermath of the typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013. Duterte also called Roxas “gay” and claimed that the administration bet is not capable of putting an end to criminality.

Roxas responded by saying that Duterte is just desperate to regain public attention and survey ratings.