MAYOR Sebastian “Baste” Duterte defended his father against claims former President Rodrigo ‘Digong’ is no longer capable of running the city.
During Sunday’s episode of “Baste Dabawenyo,” Baste said attacking his father’s capacity to run due to age is an “ancient argument.”
“Ting eleksyon naman gud dool na ba. Karaan na kaayo na nga mga istorya, pangita mog laing argumento (The elections are approaching. It’s an old allegation, find another argument),” he said.
He stressed being a mayor does not necessarily require one to be physically present. Instead, the chief executive must be able to manage the city through his wisdom.
“Ngano kung magpadagan kag syudad, kinahanglan diay ka mo tumbling kada adlaw, di man pud (If you run a city, do you need to perform somersaults daily? That’s not it),” he added.
Councilor Louie John Bonguyan added the former president can exploit all his wisdom and experience, having reached the pinnacle of politics, and apply the best practices from benchmarking with other countries and local government units.
The 79-year-old was the OIC vice mayor of the city from 1986-1987 substituting his mother Soledad. He became city mayor in 1988-1998, 2001-2010, 2013 to 2016. In 2010-2013 he was elected the vice mayor while his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, was mayor. From 1998-2001, he sat as representative of the city’s first district representative to the Congress.
