By Jade C. Zaldivar
The two Dutertes at the helm of the city’s leadership may sometimes be at ends on issues, but Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomes it, saying both he and daughter, City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, take their job ‘very seriously.’
The elder Duterte raised the white flag concerning the implementation of a month-long gun ban following weeks of having different opinions on the matter.
While Duterte-Carpio opted to declare the gun ban through a resolution under the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC), the Vice Mayor said the declaration would be useless as “only those who carry licensed firearms would follow the gun ban.»
However, the Vice Mayor on Tuesday said he has backed off from the issue as he does not intend to go against the Mayor’s decision.
“I would not take issue with the Mayor kay naka provide na na sa CPOC. Policy na eh. They gave the order. Mine was just an opinion,” VM Duterte said during the live airing of Ato ni Bay at the City Council conference room.
He said that what is followed by national agencies, specifically the Philippine National Police on the issue, is the order given by a city executive.
“Kung muingon sila sa Manila (that they approve) we have to bow to the order of the Mayor. Wala tay mahimo. She’s the one supporting, supervising the authority of the police. She’s the one who heads CPOC so siya gyuy masunod,” VM Duterte said.
Independent-minded
The elder Duterte also said the City Mayor was raised “as an independent person.”
“(It is) not because I want to fight with the Mayor or that just want to take issues with my daughter. You know, I raised my daughter, the Mayor now, to be an independent person – not a robot. Dili siya robot,” Duterte said.
“I expected that when she became a mayor she would expect also that I would have a different view on so many things sa governance sa tao. We are not each other’s robot,” he added.
The Vice Mayor also said that when he was City Mayor and Duterte-Carpio was the Vice Mayor they never ganged up on the city, deciding by themselves what they wanted to implement.
“Even when she was still VM dili mi makig-storya bahin sa pagdagan sa syudad. Gusto ba mo ana, nga kami-kami mag-istoryahanay ingani atong buhaton tungod naa ta sa posisyon. Gusto mo ana?” Duterte said.
“That was the guarantee I gave you when I presented her to you as your Mayor that we would act as professionals with our own positions to (live up to)” he added.
However, the Vice Mayor still reiterated his stand regarding criminals, saying “they are the not ones who respect the law.”
