DAVAO City Vice Mayor Sara Z. Duterte chided congressional candidate Karlo B. Nograles for having looked down on women.
"Karon ginapilit na niya bawion na, pero gikan ni sa iyang baba na 'ang babae lampa gyud' (He's now trying to deny that he said this but this came from his mouth, that women are weak)," Duterte said in her Sunday’s television program.
Duterte also chided Nograles for his continued attacks on her and her father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, in the Nograles television and radio shows.
"Sige na siya Duterte-Duterte, nakalimot siya nga ang kalaban niya si Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta (He keeps on hitting at the Dutertes, forgetting that his opponent representative of the first congressional district is Mabel Sunga-Acosta)," she said.
According to the vice mayor, Acosta is among the country's best councilors and has consistently topped the councilor race.
Duterte also pointed out that Acosta had in fact been getting tens of thousands more votes in the first district, where the people were voting for eight councilors, as compared to the votes garnered by Karlo's father, House Speaker Prospero Nograles.
Duterte, who was not in her normal "bungisngis" (smiling) mood, challenged Karlo to prove that women are indeed weak now that he is pitted against a high-performing woman candidate.
She also slammed Nograles' earlier attacks about her lack of experience in running the city, pointing out that it is their camp that lacks experience.
"Si Speaker Nograles, wala na nakaagi og local government, wala na nakaagi og barangay kapitan (Speaker Nograles never had a stint with local government, he did not even become barangay captain)," she said, adding that the younger Nograles was "nobody but an employee" of his father's congressional office.
"Ang lamang nako ninyo, naa ko'y three years nga experience sa local government (My advantage is my three years experience with local government)," she said.
In explaining her tirades, the vice mayor said she has never initiated any fight with anyone, but she does stand up for her family and work.
She said she is just responding in kind for the tirades the Nograles camp has launched against her and her father. She also said that she has nothing against the candidates in the Nograles camp who are likewise hitting them.
"Wala koy kasuko niana nila kay gigamit ra na sila. Ang kasuko nako naa ra sa mga Nograles (I am not angry at the other candidates because I know they are only being used. My anger is directed only at the Nograleses)," Duterte said.