PRESIDENT Duterte was known for his no-nonsense approach to crime and criminal suspects when he was mayor of Davao City. He must have learned from the experience of another Davao local official, a Cebuano from Sibonga.
Nonito Llanos was known to literally crack the whip on offenders when he was governor of Davao del Sur. He was feared by criminals but was so loved by his people, he never lost an election in his province, according to old-time residents of Digos City whom I spoke to last week.
When Duterte was expelled from the Ateneo de Davao after he pulled a prank on one of his teachers, his father, then the governor of the still undivided province of Davao, sent him to Digos to finish high school, entrusting him to Llanos, a political ally and the town’s mayor. Duterte reportedly stayed with the Llanoses until he found suitable lodging.
Duterte eventually finished high school in Digos but the more lasting lesson that he learned during his brief stay may not have been about history or mathematics but about strongman governance. In this regard, he learned from the master himself.
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Last week’s trip was my second to Digos. Not surprisingly, it is no longer the sleepy town that I saw 40 years ago. The skyline has changed, for one. I was looking for the old public market where I had lunch during my first visit but it was gone, probably torn down like most of the other old landmarks and replaced with new and more modern structures.
The national highway is paved and, sigh, wide. And I was told that work on a railway that will allow faster and more comfortable travel from the Davao del Sur’s capital city to Tagum, Davao del Norte will start soon. Here in Cebu, we’re still debating on BRT versus MRT when not talking about skyways and monorails. Sigh again.
Davao never had it so good and the Davaoeños, at least those I have met, believe that they’re entitled to it because the President is one of them. Pampanga benefitted when Gloria Arroyo was President, Ilocos during the time of Ferdinand Marcos and Bohol under Carlos Garcia, a cousin pointed out.
Not surprisingly, they are rabidly pro-Duterte. Only the people in Manila are complaining, one of them claimed, and it’s only because until now they could not accept the fact that the President is a provinciano. Hard to argue on that one especially with someone whose mind is firmly set.
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We took a side trip to General Santos City on our first day. The city that Manny Pacquiao made more famous is only about two hours away on smooth roads. Except for a lone checkpoint after we entered Sarangani, there was no indication whatsoever that Mindanao is under martial law. Maybe, they should lift the proclamation except in the troubled areas?
Because someone in our group wanted to see the inside of a mansion, we went to Pacquiao’s old residence in Gensan. (Pacquiao has since moved to an even more luxurious palatial dwelling, I was told.) Unfortunately, they don’t allow curiosity-seekers even in the abandoned palace anymore.
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Finallly, overheard in Digos City: My cousin: Way hangyo ani, Dong? Photographer: Wa na gyud ma’am kay wa nay Kapa.