DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has urged the Filipinos to keenly observe the interviews of the First Lady, Liza Marcos to be able to see the real situation of the Philippine society today.
The mayor once again expressed his emotion during a prayer rally for peace organized by the local group Hakbang ng Maisug at the Freedom Park in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
The prayer rally, with former president Rodrigo Duterte leading the activity, was pushed through despite its permit being denied twice.
"Kung gusto gyud ninyo makakita kung unsay nawong sa gobyerno karon tan-awa ninyo ang interview ni Liza Marcos. Tan-awa ninyo mao na ang dagway sa atong nasud karon. Unya kamo na bahala maghuna-huna. Dili man ta gusto mangdaut ug tawo, dili ta makaingon nga tama o mali, tan-awa lang ninyo basin wala mo nakakita para makakita mo kung unsa gyud dagway sa atong nasud karon," Duterte said in a live coverage.
(If you really want to see the face of the government today, watch the interview with Liza Marcos. Look at her face, that is the current status of our country now. Then it's up to you to think. We don't want to destroy a person, we can't also say right or wrong, just look at it, maybe you haven't seen it, so you can see what our country really looks like today.)
Duterte once posted a cryptic post on his official Facebook account in April after the First Lady herself told the media in an interview that her sons possess good manners, with no history of violence, and are free of any tattoos on their bodies — issues that commonly describes the Dutertes.
Baste immediately uploaded a picture of a sketch of the Bisayan pintados from the Boxer Codex: A Modern Spanish Transcription and English Translation of 16th century Exploration Accounts of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific* (Donoso 2018).
The Philippine Cultural Education explained that the artwork symbolizes ‘bravery and fierceness’ for men and ‘beauty and fertility’ for women.
“Pintados, the word itself means painted people. A legacy from the past that showcases the rich culture of the country, specifically in the Visayas region of the Philippines. The different designs of the tattoo or paint on the body signify rank, bravery, and heroism,” Boxer Codex/ SEA Heritage & History said.
The Dutertes are known to be prominent political figures in the history of modern Philippine politics, with former president Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte putting their family’s name in the political mainstream when he won the presidency in 2016 - the first Mindanaoan to assume the highest political office.
It can be recalled that Baste had a heated argument with Senator Imee Marcos after he called out the current leadership of his brother, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during the ‘Hakbang ng Maisug-Leaders Forum for Transparency, Accountability, Peace, and Security, at the Grand Men Seng Hotel, Magallanes, Davao City last January.
According to the senator, Baste reached out to him following his sharp statements and apologized for his actions.
However, the mayor claimed that he was only sorry to the president’s sister for her little drama and not for the incompetence of her brother.
Currently, the conflict between the Marcos and Duterte families in the country continues to be a hot topic among citizens with some calling them “frenemy”, a portmanteau of the words friend and enemy, over their dissimilar stance on the 1987 constitution. DEF