Ruy Elias Lopez slams Dutertes

Davao City mayoral aspirant lawyer Ruy Elias Lopez, son of former city mayor Elias Lopez, revealed having a fallout with the Dutertes, which led him not to support incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte's candidacy in the 2016 national elections.

Lopez was the guest of the Candid Dates 2022, organized by the Davao Association of Catholic Schools, Inc., along with the Initiatives for International Dialogue, online news website Mindanews, and Mindanao Consortium of Ateneo on Friday, February 4.

During the interview, Ruy, 61, admitted he had hesitation on returning to politics, more than a decade since he last ran.

Lopez said his family and the Dutertes were former allies.

But in 2007, Lopez heard that the elder Duterte had chosen his daughter, neophyte Sara Duterte-Carpio, also a law practitioner, to be his vice mayor.

Upon hearing the news, he said he had talked to Duterte and the latter confirmed it.

"Sabi ko (I told him), 'Mayor [Rodrigo], I don't think that's right'," Lopez said. He added, "'Obviously, there's no check and balance in the local administration.'"

Lopez said a "Duterte-Duterte" set-up would breed corruption as both executive and legislative functions are exercised by members of the same family.

"If the mayor is the father and then the vice mayor is the daughter, you cannot expect the daughter to investigate the father or the father to investigate the daughter," he said, referring to the "check and balances."

The vice mayor is also the presiding head of the City Council.

"Because of that, I told Mayor Duterte, I said, 'Niloloko mo na ang Davao. Hindi tama 'yan (You are making a fool of Davao City.).' But he insisted on it, so I said in that case, I will not anymore align with you because I am bringing the name of my father, Elias Lopez. Di ko pwede dalhin sa kalokohan ng pamumulitika at gobyernong gagawin mo (I cannot carry foolishness in politics and governance) because that leads to corruption and abuse of power," he added.

He said this was the moment that he and his family parted ways with the Dutertes.

The young Lopez served as House of Representative of the Third District from 1998 to 2007. He said he entered politics in 1998, a year after his father passed away.

Meanwhile, after his term ended in Congress, Lopez went back to private practice in 2007.

When Sara ran for mayor, and Rodrigo ran for vice mayor in the 2010 election, Lopez said, "Kita mo? Talagang kalokohan ang kanilang ginagawa. Para silang hari. 'Yan ang objective nila (You see? All they do is mockery. They act like kings. That's their objective)."

Lopez said he convinced the late outgoing First District Representative and House Speaker Prospero "Boy" Nograles to run for mayor to stop the Dutertes from heading the city.

He made another attempt in running into politics, still as House of Representative, but both Lopez and Nograles were defeated.

Nograles would eventually make amends with Duterte by supporting his -presidential bid in 2016. Nograles' son Karlo was eventually appointed as Cabinet Secretary in 2019 and is currently the acting presidential spokesperson.

Lopez said he "retired" from politics until he decided to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor on October 8, less than an hour before the filing of COC closed.

The mayoral aspirant said he ran despite having a slim chance of winning considering he will be running against incumbent Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte for the position. Sebastian substituted his sister, who withdrew his COC to run for vice president.

He said there was hesitation in running again.

"I'm happy being a private citizen. That's what Dabawenyos chose," he said.

But his former chief of staff convinced him to run again.

Despite having a huge possibility of losing, he said he wants the people to have a choice in the coming elections.

"But you know, mabuti na rin 'yan para malaman ng tao, mabigyan ng choice ang mga tao," Lopez said.

(I wanted people to know that I am running, and they would be given a choice.)

His father Elias made history as the first Bagobo-blooded mayor from 1981 to 1986. Prior to becoming a mayor, the patriarch served as councilor, then as vice mayor from 1967 to 1971, eventually as mayor. He later ran for Congress and won as the Third District representative from 1992 to 1995, was reelected for the term 1995 to 1998. But he was not able to finish his third and last term after his passing a year before.

The senior Lopez was succeeded by the patriarch Duterte, the longest-serving mayor in the city from 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016. Duterte ran and won for Congress from 1998 to 2001.