Duterte tells rivals to ‘step up campaign’

Amid trading barbs with other presidential candidates, Davao City Rodrigo Duterte urged his rivals to step up their campaign. “Stop talking and raise your campaign higher,” Duterte said in a report by Tina Panganiban-Perez in GMA-7’s “24 Oras” on Wednesday.

Duterte said this while on a campaign sortie in Cainta town, Rizal and the cities of Marikina and Quezon on Tuesday. In one of his sorties, he also responded to Vice President Jejomar Binay calling him “pambansang berdugo”.

“I have been a mayor for 20 years, there never was a time na nagpatay ako ng inosenteng tao,” he said.

But later that night, Duterte admitted that he once punished the wrong person. He said that he hit the hands of the alleged person that his nails opened. Then, he was stopped by his driver.

“Sabi ko, ‘Diba, ito iyong magnanakaw?’ ‘Hindi, sir,’” said Duterte who then scratched his head.

Meanwhile, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas called Duterte’s campaign promises “ampaw” or empty.

“So be it,” Duterte replied while campaigning in San Miguel, Baliuag, and Malolos in Bulacan on Wednesday. — Trisha Macas, BAP, GMA News