DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian Duterte said there is no room for criminals and corruption in the city.
Duterte said this during the opening of the 87th Araw ng Dabaw on Friday evening, March 1 at the San Pedro Square.
"Kay ako may nabutang diri karon, kamo mga kriminal, kung pedophile ka, rapist ka, patyon taka. Kung kidnapper, holdaper ka, patyon taka (Since I am the one sitting here, you criminals, if you are a pedophile or rapist, I will kill you. If you are a kidnapper, hold-upper, I will kill you)," the mayor said.
He also warned corrupt officials, adding that he would not tolerate any of their actions, especially in the city's tax funds.
"Kung corrupt ka, ug naa ka sa gobyerno, kalabanon gyud taka (If you are corrupt and in a government office, I will become your enemy)," he said.
He also joked that if they were just mildly corrupt, he would only beat them with a rattan stick.
During his speech, the young mayor highlighted the achievements of the administration of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously served as city mayor.
He also said that transient residents and tourists are welcome in the city as long as they respect and abide by the laws of the city.
Duterte also highlighted in his speech the culture of security, which mandates people to be aware and participate in the security and safety situation in the city and encouraged them to take a more empowered role in maintaining peace and order.
In a previous report, Duterte said he is not taking seriously the advice of his father on the need “to learn how to kill” if he wants criminals to fear him as mayor of the city.
"Ngano mupatay man ko? (Why would I kill?) I won't do that myself. I won't tell anyone to do that. Even to the police, it's the same thing," Duterte, who was then the city vice mayor, said.
During this time frame, there were 213 reported cases, down from 370 cases in the same period last year.
This shows that there was a total reduction of 157 crimes in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, wherein April 2022 already had 47 percent compared to the same month last year with only 22 percent.
Furthermore, theft cases dropped from 103 in 2022 to 43 last year during the same period.
Robbery cases also saw a decline from 58 to 33, while murder cases increased slightly from 37 to 42.
DCPO spokesperson Police Captain Hazel Tuazon attributed these positive results to the continuous vigilance of the public, who promptly provided information to the authorities. RGL
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