Duterte conferred with Knights of Rizal’s highest honor

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday was conferred with the Knights of Rizal’s highest degree in Davao City.

The award was given amid the looming arrest of his most vocal critic Senator Leila de Lima in relation to a drug-related case.

Duterte was conferred with the Knight Grand Cross of Rizal during the 21st International Assembly and Conference of Knights of Rizal, which is led by Supreme Commander and former Chief Justice Renato Puno Sr.

The tough-talking President, who is known to dislike reading prepared speeches, stuck to his copy without a single ad lib.

Duterte said that the conferment of the group’s highest rank was “truly humbling”.

“I must confess, however, that I suffer a sense of inadequacy knowing that I stand before assemblage of men who are so fused with patriotic fervor, deeply imbued with Dr. Jose Rizal’s ideals and visions, and dedicated to the diffusion of his writings and teachings,” he said.

“Tell me, how does one relate appropriately to such people with lofty credentials? That is the circumstance under which I labor and I can only hope that I would give justice to the award that you bestow upon me today,” he added.

Duterte also called on the members of the Knights of Rizal to be the first to call for a federal form of government that was also favored by the country's national hero, Jose Rizal.

“For instance, my administration has proposed to shift from a governmental structure to a federal system. But it is really nothing new for in this the Filipinas Dentro de Cien Años, ‘The Philippines a Century Hence,’ published at La Solidaridad circa 1989 and 1890,” he said.

“Dr. Jose Rizal saw the merits and the advantages of a federal system of government. No wonder, he predicted that the Philippines would probably adopt a federal republic once liberated,” he added.

“For now, we do not need to discuss what these advantages are. That will follow later. Frankly, I hope to see the Knights of Rizal in the forefront of the campaign to shift to the federal type of government,” Duterte continued reading his prepared speech.

Duterte has previously expressed admiration for Rizal when he led the commemoration of Rizal Day in 2016. — BAP, GMA News