BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – On April 19, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is campaigning in this city. That same day, the Liberal Party (LP) is holding a “multi-sectoral meeting.”
Which gathering will attract more people?
Political kibitzers can’t help but wonder if the ruling party deliberately timed its activity with that of Duterte of the PDP-Laban.
Duterte is now leading various surveys way ahead of tail-ender Mar Roxas of the LP.
“Waay kami gadungan ah (We’re not timing our activities with them),” insisted Cong. Jerry Treñas, regional LP chief.
Duterte’s campaign rally will be held at the public plaza of La Paz district. He is expected to arrive in the city at 1 p.m. this Tuesday
The LP, on the other hand, will use the Jaro public plaza for its multi-sectoral meeting from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
According to Treñas, LP-Iloilo scheduled the multi-sectoral meeting long before Duterte set its campaign rally here.
Expected to attend the meeting are sidewalk vendors, market vendors and jeepney drivers, among others.
Treñas said local LP candidates here will be at the meeting.
Information reached this paper that Duterte is coming in by plane from Bacolod City. From the Iloilo Airport, he will have a motorcade in major thoroughfares of Iloilo City before proceeding to La Paz plaza.
His running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, is attending a students’ forum at the University of the Philippines Visayas – Iloilo City campus around 2 p.m. before proceeding to La Paz plaza.
Panay News also learned that supporters of Duterte can avail themselves of free t-shirt printing at La Paz plaza; all they have to do is bring their own shirts.
Roxas, who claims Western Visayas as his bailiwick, recently stepped up his criticism of Duterte.
He called out Duterte’s promise to the electorate that if elected, he will eradicate crime all over the country within three to six months in office.
“He has been ruling Davao for 20 years. Davao is No. 3 in homicide, No. 2 in rape, No. 1 in murder. Since he couldn’t do it in Davao, how can he do it in the entire country?” Roxas asked.
Roxas was referring to the latest crime statistics released by the Philippine National Police which reflected Davao as having the most number of murders since 2008.
So far, Duterte has failed to dispute the statistics, and only countered Roxas’ statement by saying that the latter is “bayot” and cannot kill anyone.
Roxas also took issue with Duterte’s out-and-out alliance with the New People’s Army.
Duterte has gone on record to say that the existence of the NPA is a reality and that businessmen should just pay the revolutionary taxes demanded by the group so they can do their business in peace.
“What kind of a Commander-in-Chief is that? He is allied with those who kill our soldiers and policemen,” said Roxas./PN