SIMILAR to his father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte aims to focus on the campaign against illegal drugs.
In the pilot episode of Banateros on SMNI aired on April 2, Mayor Baste declared the significant need to combat illegal drugs not only in Davao but across the entire Philippines.
According to the younger Duterte, there is a necessity to match the courage of drug lords who destroy the lives of Filipino youth and families.
“You have to declare war against it—and selling it,” said Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Davao City.
The Davao City Mayor also mentioned that he’s not afraid if the International Criminal Court (ICC) includes his war efforts in Davao in the investigation into his father’s war on drugs.
“Oh, let them include me, go ahead. Go ahead—if that’s the case then include me,” Mayor Baste added.
Mayor Baste noted that there has been a rubber band effect in the fight against drugs and criminality.
This means that due to the strict enforcement of laws by former President Duterte, criminals were afraid.
But now that the Marcos administration has been lax on this matter, drug lords saw the chance to emerge again.
So, in the current fight against illegal drugs in Davao City, Mayor Baste indeed finds inspiration in the campaign his father pushed forward.
No plans to run for higher gov’t position —Mayor Baste Duterte
Meanwhile, when asked if he has plans to run for a higher position following the declaration of war on drugs in Davao City, Mayor Baste responded:
“I’m just quiet here in Davao–because my family is here, it’s difficult.”
“I won’t run, there’s really a problem with that, I’m not crazy to just declare, that there’s really a problem— They won’t believe you. We have to be realistic in our situation when it comes to fighting drugs in our country,” he stressed.
Among the lasting legacies of the Duterte Administration is its war on drugs, resulting in thousands of drug surrenderers, the closure of drug dens, and a significant decrease in crime rates in the country.
