Mayor Duterte in Tagbilaran

By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY
A warm welcome from the people of Bohol awaits Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Dutete today when he visits Tagbilaran City where he is expected to intensify his campaign on federalism.
Duterte will hit this southwestern part of the Bohol province as commencement speaker of the Bohol institute of Technology (BIT), with local officials led by Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr. expected to give him a rousing welcome.
Evasco is a long-time political strategist of Duterte who also became successful in his political career when he was voted into office by the Boholanos for three terms now.
Peter T. Laviña, one of Duterte’s campaign volunteers who is assigned in the Mindanao operations, said the Bohol trip will allow the Boholanos to speak out their thoughts on federalism.
“But I would not be surprised if they would turn the table on him and ask him to hear their pleas instead,” Laviña said. “Surely, they would urge him to follow the footsteps of Carlos P. Garcia to Malacañang.”
Bohol’s Garcia, a teacher and a lawyer, was the Philippines eight President.
Duterte, in the course of his Listening Tour, had been time and again urged to run for President by almost all sectors of society, and even sneaked from down South to land No. 3 spot in the latest survey of Pulse Asia on preferred presidential prospects.
The survey result was remarkable for someone who hasn’t even declared his intention to run in the 2016 presidential elections.
But, despite the snowballing clamor for him to seek the country’s highest position, Duterte remained adamant.
“The presidency is a distant star for me,” Duterte said in a radio interview.
After the Bohol sojourn, Duterte, who will turn 70 days from now, will resume his federalism campaign after the Holy Week.
Laviña said Duterte will be in iligan on April 7 and Bukidnon on April 15.