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Duterte, Roxas continue feud in second leg of PiliPinas Debates 2016


Administration standard bearer Mar Roxas and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte continued their quarrel in the second leg of the PiliPinas Debates 2016, as their exchange on peace and order degenerated into personal attacks.

In several instances, Duterte called Roxas pretentious and even a fraud. The former secretary of the interior countered by saying Duterte's brand of justice was one in which falsehoods are taken to be true if the Davao mayor believed them.

The heated argument started when Roxas criticized the Davao City mayor for failing to stop criminality in "drug-infested" villages in his jurisdiction.

"The secretary has forgotten that he was the DILG secretary. He controls the police. He has administrative control over everybody. Kaming mga mayor we only give guidance to the police," Duterte said.

"Nakalimutan siguro ni Mayor ang Local Government Code, kung saan ang mayor po ang chief executive ng isang lugar," Roxas replied.

Duterte then went into a tirade on how the government has failed to stop illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, where numerous raids have yielded illegal items including drugs.

"Alam mo wala kang ginawa. And you are claiming credit that is not yours. Ang mahirap sa iyo Mar, you are a pretentious leader," Duterte declared.

Roxas denied the tag, saying arrests were in fact made at the national penitentiary.

Wharton issue revived

Duterte even revived the issue on Roxas' controversial educational background, particularly on his degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"You are a fraud. You're pretentious. Pati edukasyon mo, sinabi mo Wharton eh di ka pala taga-Wharton," he said.

Roxas blasted Duterte for resorting to "name-calling," but went on to describe Duterte's "brand of Duterte justice."

Duterte prides himself in being a no-nonsense anti-crime crusader, saying in several instances that he has killed some criminals in his city.

"Hindi ko na problema na hindi maunawaan ni Mayor Duterte kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging graduate ng Wharton. Wharton na mismo ang nagsabing graduate ako doon sa kanila," Roxas said.

"Kung ayaw maniwala, iyan ang brand ng Duterte justice, kung ano ang nasa isip niya kahit hindi totoo, iyan ang paniniwalaan," he added.

Duterte claimed their camp asked Wharton about the issue, and the latter reportedly said it would be "inappropriate" for Roxas to claim he was a Wharton graduate with a Master degree in business administration.

Binay joined the conversation through sarcasm. "Hindi, umattend ata siya ng seminar [sa Wharton]," he said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

"Ito namang si Vice President Binay, sumali pa, sumawsaw pa," Roxas said.

Yolanda response

The argument further escalated when the issues of the Yolanda tragedy and the Zamboanga siege, both in 2013, were brought up.

Roxas recalled how he braved the aftermath of Yolanda and the Zamboanga siege, but Duterte contested Roxas' statement.

"I was there in Yolanda. Day 2. This guy cannot handle stress. He's a weak leader," said the Davao mayor.

Roxas insisted he was in Leyte, meeting with officials both from the local and national government. "I was a central player in those meeting. Ikaw ang nawala, dumating ka doon, ilang oras nagpa-photo op, umalis. Iyang ang uri ng liderato mo," said Roxas.

Roxas and Duterte called each other friends until news came out in 2015 that Duterte was suffering from cancer, a report that the Davao mayor attributed to Roxas' camp.

Roxas has repeatedly denied that his team was behind the morbid news that riled Duterte. — NB, GMA News

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