SENATOR Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said it is difficult to celebrate the 127th Philippine Independence Day while former President Rodrigo Duterte remains detained in a foreign country.
“Lisod mag lipay-lipay, independence kunohay, pero intawon si Mayor Rody nahimong piniriso didto sa langyaw nga lugar ( (It's hard to celebrate and pretend it's Independence Day when Mayor Rody has sadly become a prisoner in a foreign land),” Dela Rosa said during the wreath-laying ceremony at Rizal Park in Davao City on Thursday morning, June 12, 2025.
Duterte was brought to The Hague in the Netherlands on March 11, 2025, to face charges related to alleged crimes against humanity during his presidency.
Dela Rosa admitted that Duterte’s situation was painful, but he urged the public not to lose hope. He said that Dabawenyos still consider Duterte their mayor and that Davao City will always stand by him.
“We will continue to do everything we can to bring him back home,” he said. “More than that, we’ll carry on his vision of a strong and resilient Philippines.”
The senator said that the peace and order Davao City enjoys today are the result of years of discipline and “intelligent obedience,” built not through foreign influence but through local values, sacrifice, and pride.
“Every Dabawenyo knows what it took to become what we are today,” Dela Rosa added. “Freedom is not just the absence of limits. It is dignity—the ability to live in a city where we can proudly say, ‘Davao City, Life is Here.’”
He said that Davao’s legacy is not just about standing up for one man, but for all Filipinos who believe public service should serve the people—not powerful critics from afar.
Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain Jr., who represented Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte at the event, echoed similar sentiments. He reminded Filipinos to honor the sacrifices of their ancestors and uphold the hard-earned freedom that defines the nation.
“Amidst the current volatile political structure, it is our shared duty to uphold and maintain this freedom against both foreign and local entities that continuously violate our rights as a democratic country,” Quitain said.
He called on the youth to carry the torch in the fight against injustice, corruption, poverty, and threats to national sovereignty, all while upholding patriotism and democratic values.
This year’s Independence Day theme is “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan” (Freedom, Future, History). The event was attended by officials from the consular offices of China, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia, as well as representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). RGP