THOUSAND Dabawenyos showed their solidarity for Vice President Sara Duterte through a lightning prayer and candle-lighting rally to protest what they call “unconstitutional” measures of the Marcos administration.
The event was conducted after the House committee on good government and public accountability resumed its probe into Duterte’s alleged misuse of funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd), the latter when she was still the DepEd chief.
According to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), around 1,000 Dabawenyos coming from different parts of the city flocked to Rizal Park, San Pedro Street on Saturday night, November 23, 2024, wearing black shirts printed with the slogan “Filipinos are not for Sale”.
During the program, supporters featured several videos showing the situation of Davao City during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1965 to 1986, particularly when he placed the country in Martial Law in 1972.
Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain Jr. who was present at the rally told Davao reporters at the sidelines that the event is a result of how the current administration executes their power, leading to injustices and unfairness.
“I’m sure a lot of Dabawenyos didn’t like what they saw. They (lawmakers) should uphold the rule of law, we can achieve doing things in a peaceful way, like having this peaceful prayer rally, that is one of the ways,” he said, adding that the city is not stopping anyone from voicing their complaints given that they adhere to the law.
In the previous hearing on November 20, OVP chief of staff and undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, who had been cited in contempt for ‘undue interference’ in the panel’s investigation, was detained at the House’s detention facility.
On Saturday, November 23, Lopez was transferred to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center after experiencing an anxiety attack, following a House order to transfer her to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City.
Citing humanitarian reasons, the prison transfer did not push through after a chaotic incident between the Duterte camp and the House security on the same day.
In 2023, Duterte asked Congress to allocate P500 million for the OVP and P150 million for DepEd confidential and intelligence funds, respectively, during the plenary discussions for the 2024 national budget.
However, after reports from the Commission on Audit (COA) showing that the OVP under Duterte’s leadership spent P125 million in 2022 in just 11 days, the committees on Finance and on Appropriations questioned her requests.
DCPO concluded the prayer rally as “successful with no untoward incidents and violence.” DEF