DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian Duterte did not hold back in criticizing Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos for the “hero’s burial” of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani or Heroes’ Cemetery.
The younger Duterte expressed his emotions amidst ongoing investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the Duterte drug war.
“Regarding the ICC, I just want to point this out: remember that my father allowed your father to be buried [in the Cemetery of Heroes].
That alone should have sufficed. But you didn’t [think about this]. I have completely lost respect for you,” said Mayor Baste Duterte.
During the One Nation, One Opposition Prayer Rally, Mayor Baste stated that the current administration wishes to imprison his father, allowing the ICC to enter the Philippines.
“About this ICC, I am very hurt that this is what we are thinking about now, that they never landed in our country before. Then suddenly, the administration changed, and they were suddenly here.”
“That’s… they want to imprison my father, that’s why… As a son, I am hurt by what the Marcos administration is doing to my father,” expressed Mayor Duterte.
Mayor Duterte emphasized that he rarely sees his father due to his busy schedule working for a better future not only for Davao City but for the entire country during his presidency.
“Why does it have to be that way? Do you know why I am deeply hurt?
I grew up looking at former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who did nothing else, and only spoke occasionally, and I rarely see him.”
“Because why? He relentlessly pursued his dream of providing a better future not only for Davao but for the entire Philippines,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mayor Duterte left a reminder for Pres. Marcos. He mentioned that the President might consider his actions in case it revives the memories of what happened to his family in 1986.
“Just a simple message to our President, from now on before you go to bed think of the Romanovs, think of Benito Mussolini and his wife, and think of what happened to you in 1986, and maybe you reconsider the direction that you are taking,” he also added.
After saying this, Mayor Baste jokingly said that he might just fly to Indonesia to seek political asylum following his statements against the current administration.
