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Reds hit Sara Duterte for hypocritical comments over Davao City attacks


The National Democratic Front has accused Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte of being a hypocrite after she condemned the New People's Army's attack on the assets of food and packing companies in Davao City.

Restituto Baguer, spokesperson of Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid-Southern Mindanao Region, said Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, was a legal counsel of Lapanday Foods Corp.

“We can only expect that a local chief executive who has vested interest in the companies of a landgrabbing comprador-landlord to be the latter’s spokesperson and defender,” Baguer said.

At least 80 NPA members launched attacks in Davao Saturday and torched the packing plant of the Lapanday Foods Corp. in Barangay Mandug and the Macondray Plastic Plant in Barangay Bunawan.

Baguer said Duterte was silent when Lapanday’s armed goons opened fire and wounded nine unarmed civilian farmers three days after their alleged land occupation of the Lapanday banana plantation in Tagum City last December.

He said the mayor also supported the appointment of Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum as Davao City Police Chief who the NDF said was the same police officer who led the massacre of barricading El Niño victims in Kidapawan City in April last year.

“Thus, for Sara Duterte to claim the NPA’s assault in the Lorenzo-owned businesses in Davao City a personal insult, is not only hypocritical but downright self-serving. Nothing can be farther from the truth when she scored the NPA as a group that pretends to champion social justice and equality,” Baguer said.

He said NPA’s tactical offensive has yet again showed its distinct mettle as the people’s true army that struggles for genuine social justice.

In her retort, Duterte defended her husband saying they are separate entities.

“In fact, we do not discuss the job that we chose to do, we just commit to sincerely work and earn money for the benefit of our children,” Duterte said in a press statement.

She said she condemned the NPA attack not because it was about her but because one of her constituents was injured.

“As Mayor tasked with the responsibility of the safety of civilians, the injury of Larry is my injury… On or about 8 o'clock in the morning of April 29, 2017, I was standing in the middle of the trauma room of the Southern Philippines Medical Center praying that the civilian who was injured in the IED blast—courtesy of the terrorist NPA—will not die,” Duterte said.

She said Larry had no one with him so she was the one who had to read through his text messages to look for a family member. She called his wife, broke the bad news, and asked the wife to come and stand by her husband's side.

“One of his text messages spoke of his work as a simple laborer, who sells fruits and fish. The victim was the very person that you say should be defended from injustice. So when I condemned what the NPA did, I spoke for Larry. But you did not know that, did you? You just assumed when I say personal, it is all about my life. Because that is how you are. You are selfish individuals and you think the world is all about you,” Duterte said.

She said the incidents in the cities of Kidapawan and Tagum were of no concern of her.

“The last time I checked, I am Mayor of Davao. If only you have even the slightest hint of reality, you would know that I never dip my fingers in affairs outside of my area of responsibility,” Duterte said.

She also defended her support for Tagum ‘because he stood his ground against you.“

The Davao City mayor said the so-called punitive action against the company was nothing but an action against peace, economic stability, and the security in Davao City.

“We now have 130 employees without work and Larry still in a coma. And yet the Lorenzos will still have money that you and I can only dream about in this lifetime. It did not even make a dent in their bank accounts,” Duterte said.

“I maybe a hypocrite to you, but you are stupid to me and all the peace-loving Dabawenyos. Terrorists and fake organizations do not have the right to talk about social justice. Show me your faces and then maybe I will listen to your rant about social justice,” she added. —NB, GMA News

Tags: npa, saraduterte
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