PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is urging more lumad to run for councilors in the next elections.
Duterte led the Hugpong ng Pagbabago - Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HNP-HTL) Davao City District 1 Miting de Avance at the Davao City Recreation Center (also known as Almendras Gym) on Friday evening, May 10.
The President was invited to the HNP caravan at the San Pedro Square last Thursday, May 9. However, he skipped the event. Former presidential aide and senatorial candidate Christopher “Bong” Go told the media the President was tired after attending various appointments.
Before reading all the names of local candidates, Duterte noticed the lack of lumads and IPs candidates in the list.
“Nganong... May I just ask? Ngano walay Moro nga kandidato? (Can I just ask? Why aren’t there any Moro candidates?),” Duterte said while looking at the faces of the councilors sitting in front of him.
He then urged them to participate in the next elections to give them a representation in the legislatives.
“Sa sunod unta, naa unta representative gyud ang katawhan... I would invite you to, basig naay usa ka Moro kada distrito. Mga lumad tagai bisag usa o duha ang katibuk-ang siyudad sa Davao naay tingog (I hope they would have a representative. I would to invite you to, even one Moro representative per district. And also the lumads, a one or two representatives. So they would have a voice in the whole Davao City),” Duterte said.
He said having them in the city council would have an inclusive opportunity in the various problems their sector is facing.
“Mag sige nuon og dumot ug away-away sa ilang kaligutgot nga nalimtan sila, wala silay apil, (Hatred and tensions which would result to violence might be the result for their non-inclusion),” Duterte said.
Notably, second district council candidate Halila Sudagar is the only IP candidate in the city.
Sudagar is an outgoing Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) in the City Council.
During the miting de avance, Duterte endorsed all HNP-HTL candidates.
The president is the founder of Davao-based political party, HTL, back when he was still the mayor Davao City in 2011.
At present, his son, Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, is the party’s president Pulong, who resigned as city vice mayor, is running for first district representative.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio founded HNP, a regional political in 2018.