DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte wants to keep his winning streak in all his electoral forays, including the May 2016 elections when he won the presidential race.
“I never lost an election and I would want it to be that way. So huwag ho kayong matakot. Huwag kayong maniwala diyan sa opposition na ’yan (Don’t be afraid. Don’t believe the opposition). Believe me, this will be my last,” Duterte said in a speech at Port Irene in Santa Ana, Cagayan the other day.
Duterte first ran for mayor in 1988 after he was appointed officer-in-charge vice mayor in 1987.
Duterte was city prosecutor in this city before he tried his luck in politics. “I’ve been with government. I had about 10 elections behind me. The 11th was the presidency,” he said.
In between terms as city mayor, Duterte served as vice mayor and first district representative before he ran again and won the mayoralty race in 2013.
Allaying any fear that he may stay in power by seeking another term should there be a shift in the form of government, Duterte said he does want to lose any election.?“But if it calls for an election of a president, I will step down immediately,” he said.
The President vowed to never become a dictator, noting he is tired and wants to retire.
He said he had always made it a point to make the military understand that its job is to ensure that the Constitution is honored.
“If you think I am violating the Constitution or if I am overstaying there even for a minute, shoot me dead. Oust me. I guarantee you that,” Duterte said.
He said amid the diversity of the Filipinos’ ethnic origins, he is appealing to everybody to unite as a nation.
Duterte said the ties that bind the Filipino people is the Constitution.
“What binds us really is that document called the Constitution. And it was our forefathers who decided long before that even in the midst of multiple tribes and different languages, we could form our Constitution and it’s represented by the flag,” he said.