(UPDATE 7 – 2:15 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines — Davao Mayor City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday led the launching of Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines, urging Filipinos to support her father’s administration and unite the country through a “positive voice.”
During her speech at the Marquis Events Place in Taguig’s Bonifacio Global City, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte assailed the critics of her father and said that while she believed in “dissent because it is a facet of democracy…it is a different matter altogether if you lie just to oppose.”
“(K)ung nagsisinungaling ka na, para lang mangontra, mali na ‘yon [If you are lying just to counter someone, that’s already wrong],” she said.
Apparently addressing the chief executive’s critics, Sara said during the event that “it is very bad” to “paint a sad and hopeless Philippines outside.”
“Okay lang lang siguro mag-away dito tayo sa loob, tayo lang naman eh. Pero pag ‘yong reputasyon na ng bansa natin nasisira sa mga kapitbahay natin, mali na ‘yon [Maybe it’s okay if we fight inside because it’s just us. But if the reputation of our country is already being destroyed in the eyes of our neighbors, that’s already wrong],”the mayor said.
Sara then urged his father’s critics to “set aside personal politics,” noting that “every time we have a new President, “sinisira natin ang bansa natin [we destroy our country].”
“Dapat positive lang lahat, huwag na nating gawing negative ang Pilipino [Everything should be positive, let’s not make the Filipinos negative]. Let us work altogether, mutually, in groups, in communities to make change happen,” she said.
Sara says father ‘very, very imperfect but…’
While stressing that our “our President is human, very, very imperfect, very imperfect,” Sara said “he’s a wrangler.”
“And we only have six years, five na lang [just five], we only have five years to take advantage of that warrior spirit, of that aggressive spirit and use him, s’ya ang gagamitin natin [we will use him] to create a better future for our country,” the mayor said.
The presidential daughter said the country could start positive moves by “making global terrorism insignificant by quickly repairing Lanao,” which was affected by the five-month war between government troops and extremist groups in Marawi City.
She also urged Filipinos to “work on our poverty incidence that has been taken advantage of by narco-politicians.”
“Ang kalaban natin…kriminal, terrorist, kahirapan [Our enemies are criminals, terrorists, and poverty],” Sara said.
Among those who graced the event at BGC and threw support behind Tapang at Malasakit are former President and current Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada; Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and his wife, Taguig Mayor Maria Laarni “Lani” Lopez-Cayetano; Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos; Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado; Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chair Andrea Domingo; presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino; Dangerous Drugs Board chair Dionesio Santiago; Philippine Economic Zone Authority director general Charito Plaza; and Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Karen Jimeno.
Sara: Trillanes ‘lying’ about first family’s alleged hidden wealth
The presidential daughter issued her statements against the President’s critics just days after Sara said Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV was lying about the alleged hidden wealth of the first family.
READ RELATED STORY: Sara Duterte sets conditions for Trillanes before first family issues bank waivers
The senator recently went to the U.S. to speak with senior American government officials but denied that he was there to stop President Donald Trump from visiting the Philippines for the Asean meet next month.
Last Thursday, Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said the Office of the President was hoping that Trillanes had “given” the “correct information” and “not biased information designed to adversely affect Philippines-US relations.”
Also, DFA chief Cayetano said he was expecting that Trillanes’ U.S. visit was done “in good faith” and a “normal engagement.” Cayetano recalled that when he was still a senator like Trillanes, he never went to another country and talked to foreign officials to try to overthrow the government.
“Although it’s a free world, it doesn’t help the country if there is misinformation, disinformation and especially falsehood,” the DFA chief added.
READ RELATED STORY: MAGPAKABAIT SANA? Palace, Cayetano hope Trillanes will behave while he’s in the U.S.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio announced via social media that he and Trillanes met in the US and discussed about “US-Philippines alliance, combating corruption and protecting human rights” amid the “narcotics crisis” in the Philippines.
Trillanes confirmed the topics Rubio said they had discussed but said, “Unlike the officials of the Duterte Administration, I presented only factual information.”
“Besides, you cannot fool the US government; they know what’s happening in our country,” he said.
And while giving assurances that “I pushed for the interests of our country,” Trillanes said, “But let me emphasize that the interests of our country are not necessarily the same as the interests of Mr. Duterte.”
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