“From that campaign, mga June. Ang next namin na mga activities ngayong end of May, pupunta kami sa Doha, Qatar,” (From that campaign, around June. Our next activities this end of May, we will go to Doha, Qatar,) she said.
Duterte explained the purpose of the Qatar visit: “If you can remember, meron mga nakulong doon na mga supporters, so pero na-release naman na sila pero bibisitahin pa rin namin just to comfort them sa mga nangyari sa kanila and thanksgiving, as well sa OFW sa Qatar (If you can remember, some supporters were detained there, but they have already been released, but we will still visit them just to comfort them regarding what happened to them and also to give thanks to the OFWs in Qatar).”
This visit is scheduled for May 27 and will serve as both a gesture of support and a tribute to the Filipino workers in the country.
Following the Qatar trip, the vice president detailed plans for rallies concerning the ICC. “And then meron thanksgiving ‘yun and May 31 may rally and program sa ICC and sa The Hague sa harap ng detention center where they call it Duterte park (And then there’s the thanksgiving, and on May 31st there will be a rally and program at the ICC and in The Hague in front of the detention center where they call it Duterte park).”
Emphasizing the shift in her priorities, Duterte stated, “So, wala akong birthday celebration for this year, lahat eto para sa ICC case and after that, meron pa kaming mga series of ICC rallies sa iba’t ibang bansa, inaayos lang namin yung mga permits from the local government kung saang rallies (So I don’t have a birthday celebration for this year, all of this is for the ICC case, and after that, we have more series of ICC rallies in different countries, we are just fixing the permits from the local government for those rallies).”
Duterte will celebrate her birthday on May 31.
Davao City liquid
Meanwhile, Duterte dismissed concerns that Davao City may face budgetary constraints following the family’s electoral victories.
Speaking to reporters, Duterte said, “I think our Davao City budget is more than enough to run projects and programs here in our city.”
She further highlighted her administration’s autonomy, stating, “In fact, when I was mayor, I didn’t ask for projects from congressmen or senators. I let the DPWH do their projects, and we were able to really uplift the lives of Davaoeños at that time.”
She said Davao City ranked fourth nationwide in competitiveness, debt-free for years, and ranked eighth as the richest city in the country. By the end of her term, Davao City was also declared insurgency-free.
She clarified that only two projects were requested from the national government, both with broader implications beyond the city’s borders.
“We only made two requests from the national–the CSWDO office in Magallanes and the National Museum, because it is a National Museum, it is not just for Davao City,” she added.
