Rody awed by Cotabato building

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte was so impressed by an auditorium in Cotabato City last week that he stopped twice in his speech to praise it.

“It’s a beautiful building… build one like this for me. Is this an old building? It’s so beautiful,” he said.

Duterte said the only other auditorium he had visited that could compare favorably was the one in Silliman University in Dumaguete City.

Officially named the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex, the building was built during the time of Simeon Datumanong to provide a museum, library and auditorium for the people of Cotabato City, the regional center of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Its auditorium, built like a cinema with cushioned seats, caught the President’s attention after he noticed that the audience was not having a hard time watching him as he delivered his speech.

Duterte said the structure would not result in people having stiff necks after listening to a long speech.

“You are better off,” he said in Filipino. “Honestly, I haven’t seen anything like this in Davao. It’s true.”

Duterte said although his home city has several large meeting places, none of them could compare to the complex.

In Davao, because the floor was flat, audiences have to crane their necks to get a glimpse of the speaker, he added.

Before ending his speech, Duterte again praised the auditorium and the building.