A massive crowd turned out in Davao City on Friday, March 28, to celebrate the 80th birthday of former President President Rodrigo Duterte who is now being held in the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility on charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s bold campaign against illegal drugs.
Participants here for the worldwide celebration of Duterte’s birthday surpassed 330,000 as of 8:40 p.m. Friday, more than twice the initial estimate of 100,000.
Speaking at the “Rody at 80: Global Filipino Solidarity as One Davao” birthday celebration here, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte accused President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his administration of political persecution and unfair governance.
He said Marcos is allegedly making life difficult for Davao for his political gain.
“What I do not understand about the President is why would you make a city suffer just for your political gain to have your candidate win in the 2028 election? What kind of person are you?,” the mayor said in the local dialect, followed by cheers from the crowd.
Mayor Duterte said Marcos would not have won in the 2022 elections without the backing of the people of Davao City.
He also acknowledged the emotional toll of the former President’s imprisonment. “It’s not easy having a father imprisoned for doing nothing but for the betterment of the country. I do not think he was ever really gone from us. He is always in our hearts.”
Mayor Duterte discussed his father’s leadership in Davao City and how his legacy should be upheld. He encouraged Davaoeños to continue standing by his father and speak up.
“To keep the legacy he left behind alive, let us just follow what he always said – we Davaoeños are disciplined, kind, and stand up for what is right and just,” Mayor Duterte said as he vowed to continue the fight for his father’s legacy.
The gathering here was one of the largest in support of the former President. Mayor Duterte’s speech highlighted the growing tension between the Duterte and Marcos camps.
According to Map Checking, the crowd-counting tool used by fact-checkers, the 330,000 crowd does not include those on Coastal Road, San Pedro St., Quirino, and Quimpo Boulevard who were on their vehicles to the main venue.
The event concluded around 11 p.m. as the crowd lit their candles and phones, sang songs, and wished former President Duterte a happy birthday, followed by the mesmerizing drone show, one of the highlights of the event.
PRAYER VIGIL
IN CARAGA
On the same day, thousands of supporters of former President Duterte in the Caraga region also staged a prayer rally and celebrated his 80th birth anniversary.
Police estimated the crowd at the Libertad Sports Complex here from 5,000 to 6,000.
The Police Regional Office-13 said on Saturday, March 29, that these activities were generally peaceful.
PDP-Laban Caraga Regional Chairperson Manny Lumanao said prayer rallies and candlelight ceremonies for Duterte in the region seek divine intervention in his release.
“Only divine intervention can change the course of the political landscape in the country,” he said.
Lumanao said that Duterte supporters also held prayer rallies in the United States, Middle East, Canada, and Europe.
Similar huge gatherings were also seen in other parts of the country.
“This is the first time in Philippine history that a former President is celebrating his birthday behind bars in a foreign country to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity,” Lumanao said. (Ivy Tejano, Mike Crismundo)
