Weekly protests for FPRRD eyed in Davao City

DABAWENYO supporters of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) have pledged to continue staging weekly protests in support of the embattled leader, following the official launching of the Green Rise Action Movement at Rizal Park, San Pedro Street, Davao City, on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

Leading up to the launch, a series of events, including the Araw ng Davao celebration and the Rody @ 80: Filipino Global Solidarity Rally, helped build momentum for the movement. Committed to ongoing support and unity, the group plans to hold weekly Sunday gatherings to show continued solidarity for FPRRD.

The rallies, organized by the Green Rise Movement and the LGBT Davao City Coalition (LGBT DCC), began at 5:45 p.m. and concluded at 7:30 p.m. An estimated 1,000 participants attended — 600 from the Green Rise Action rally and 400 from the LGBT DCC rally. Both events were peaceful and incident-free, according to police authorities.

Attendees included Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, Deputy Mayor Randy Usman, senatorial candidates Dr. Richard Mata, Sagip Partylist Representative Dante Marcoleta, Atty. Jimmy Bondoc, former Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairman Sunga Acosta, Atty. Israelito Torreon, and former Budget secretary lawyer Wendel Avisado.

During the rally, Atty. Avisado spoke about the movement’s goal to gather every Sunday in support of FPRRD and raise awareness about what they see as injustices against him.

“This is also our way of telling the government how sad and angry we are over the ongoing injustice being done to our former president,” Avisado said.

Mayor Duterte also addressed the crowd, urging Dabawenyos to remain strong and resilient amid the former president’s legal challenges.

“Kitang mga Dabawenyo, dapat magpabilin tang lig-on. Dili ta papildi sa ilaha. Diri nato makit-an atong kalig-on. Dawaton nato nga gikuha siya, iyaha man na. Pero kita, magpabilin gayud kitang lig-on (We Dabawenyos must remain strong. We should not let them defeat us. This is where we show our strength. We accept that he was taken — this is his battle. But we must continue to stand firm),” he said.

The Green Rise Action was formally launched during the event, with organizers voicing their demand for FPRRD’s release and pledging continued support for his cause in the weeks to come. Jhayrene Hermoso DOrSU Intern