- Davaoeños, supporters fill the streets on Duterte’s birthday
A MASSIVE RALLY celebrating former President Rodrigo Duterte’s 80th birthday drew an estimated 60,000 attendees and continued to swell as of 6 p.m. on March 28, 2025, according to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
Based on reports from the scene, the actual crowd size surrounding the stage at the corner of Roxas Avenue and C.M. Recto Street is expected to surpass the DCPO’s initial estimate, potentially exceeding 100,000 pro-Duterte supporters from various regions.
Organizers claimed that as of 7 p.m., the crowd already swelled to 150,000 and some even estimated the number of people to reach over 300,000 at its peak.
As of 7 p.m., the stretches of C.M. Recto, Roxas, and J.P. Laurel were already painted with a sea of green and white, waving Philippine flaglets and occasionally chanting “Duterte! Duterte!”
They also lit candles and turned their cameras’ flash on as they sang “Happy Birthday” to Duterte.
Duterte remained under the custody of the International Criminal Court after the Marcos administrations whisked him away on a private jet on March 11, purportedly as part of the country’s obligations with Interpol. The former president is being tried as an indirect co-perpetrator for the charge of crimes against humanity.
The DCPO deployed more than 2,000 police officers and force multipliers to secure the crowd, although it saw no immediate threats to disrupt the simultaneous Global Solidarity Birthday Prayer Rally for Duterte.
As of 4:30 p.m., the DCPO reported the following deployment figures: 827 Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel and 1,213 police auxiliaries.
The PNP deployment included 216 officers providing police visibility, 14 mobile patrol units, 14 motorcycle patrol units, 330 foot patrol officers, 14 traffic assistance personnel, 176 checkpoint personnel, 24 border control point personnel, 33 Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) personnel, and 6 drone operators.
The monitored rally, organized by the FRRD Coalition, commenced at 4:09 p.m., with an estimated 8,000 attendees. Giant LCDs are also mounted at Jacinto Street (Acacia) and Roxas Avenue for those who could no longer watch the stage due to the thick crowd.
Supporters and volunteers continue to give out food, water, free printed shirts, and accessories. For instance, Marina Tuna offered free porridge near C.M. Recto and Palma Gil junction. Sunny Point also provided 5,000 bottles of water and 200 packed meals.
As of the time of this report, the rally was still ongoing, and no significant incidents were monitored. Apart from the crowd watching the program, a motorcade of motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles, with horns blaring, was going around the city to amplify their message of support.
Meanwhile, the 20th City Council passed a resolution declaring March 28 of every year as a “day of celebration” to acknowledge the contributions of the former president to Davao City. The resolution was introduced by Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus and approved by a unanimous vote.
