Thousands show up for Duterte’s ‘grand rally’ in Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – A crowd of thousands attended the “Grand Rally” at Freedom Park here on Wednesday, March 16, for Mindanao’s presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte solidified support from Dabawenyos – 47% of respondents in Mindanao* said in the March 1-6 poll conducted by Pulse Asia for ABS-CBN that Duterte is their preferred candidate for president. Duterte ranked second in the same Pulse survey, obtaining a rating of 24%, two percentage points higher than his previous rating in the February poll.

During the rally, the presidential contender raised the hand of his running mate, Alan Peter Cayetano, urging the crowd to vote for him. “If you vote for me, I am asking you to vote for Alan. He is a decent man,” Duterte declared.

Before supporters, Duterte reiterated he would appoint Cayetano as his foreign affairs secretary. 

Cayetano has been lagging behind in recent surveys, but in the March 1-6 Pulse Asia poll, Cayetano registered a 1-percentage point rise in his rating, 14% from his previous 13%.

Rally organizers claimed the gathering of Duterte supporters is the “biggest political event in the history of the city”, as Dabawenyos came out to join the rally to show support for Duterte’s candidacy. They want him to be Mindanao’s first president.

Contingents from nearby towns also came, according to village chief Rocky Balili, a political leader and member of the “Run Rodrigo Duterte and Duterte Diehard Supporter (DDS)-Davao Region”.

The Grand Rally coincided with the 79th founding anniversary of Davao City. Duterte arrived at 7 pm and spoke after Cayetano, who told the crowd, “Ipahiram niyo naman si Mayor Duterte sa boung Pilipinas.” (Lend Mayor Duterte to the entire Philippines.)

The rally was highlighted by “Kahayag sa Pagbag-o” where Dabawenyos were encouraged to light candles for Duterte.

The Duterte-Cayetano tandem vowed to bring about genuine change in the country. – Editha Z. Caduaya/Rappler.com

*Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this story, it appeared that the 47% rating that Duterte got in the survey was from Davao only. It has been corrected to indicate it was from Mindanao.