BULACAN, Philippines – Politics wasn’t exactly the center of discussion when Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte met over dinner in Davao city over the weekend.

The two government officials, who also happen to be perceived as presidential contenders in 2016, did touch on at least one political topic: Vice President Jejomar Binay’s offer for the Davao mayor to run as his vice president in the 2016 elections.

“Kinuwento niya sa akin kasi nasa field rin ako noon, kinuwento niya sa akin yung alok sa kanya na maging vice president at kung ano yung sinagot niya. Yun lang, ganoon lang,” Roxas told reporters on the sidelines of a potable water project inspection on Tuesday, May 26.

(He told me, because I was in the field then, about the offer for him to run as vice president and what his answer was. That’s all we talked about.)

Duterte had earlier said Roxas did not discuss politics with him during their May 22 meeting. Roxas, over the weekend, visited Davao city, Sarangani province, and Koronadal city for a KOMPRe event and to lead the turnover of new patrol jeeps.

Other than that, Roxas said, it was simply a dinner and conversation between two friends.

“Nagpag-uusapan natin yung peace and order situation. Mayor naman siya ng Davao City, DILG naman ako so napag-uusapan ang aming tungkulin… Nag-dinner lang kami. Matalik kaming magkaibigan ni Digong at maayos naman ang aming pag-uusap,” said Roxas.

(We talked about the peace and order situation. He’s the mayor of Davao City, I’m the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government so we talked about our duties. We just had dinner. Digong and I are close friends and we had a good talk.)

Roxas-Duterte or Duterte-Roxas?

Roxas, a stalwart of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), is presumed to be its standard bearer in the coming polls. Duterte, meanwhile, sparked talks of a presidential run when he started going around the country and even Hong Kong for his “listening tour”, supposedly for him to promote federalism in the Philippines.

Duterte thumbed down the thought of being vice president, saying he would just be “inutile” in the post. Duterte’s political adviser and strategist Angelito Banayo earlier told Rappler that it’s the presidency or nothing for the tough-talking and oftentimes, controversial mayor.

Binay is currently the frontrunner in early surveys in the 2016 elections. Duterte, following his “listening tours” surged in recent surveys, while Roxas has been lagging behind.

Despite his dismal survey numbers, Roxas is still considered by Liberal Party members as their top, if not only, choice for their 2016 standard-bearer. Other allies and members are pushing for neophyte Senator Grace Poe, whom Roxas also met at least twice in the past, to run for president in 2016.

President Benigno Aquino III sat in one of those meetings and acknowledged that Poe met his requirements to be his successor. But Aquino also clarified on Monday, May 25, that Roxas is still on “top of the list” to be the ruling party’s standard-bearer.

The LP and Aquino will announce their presidential bet after the chief executive’s last State of the Nation Address in July.

When asked if he was ready to run for president in 2016, Roxas only told reporters he was “ready to continue the work Aquino started.”

When asked if Duterte was willing to do the same, Roxas laughed and told reporters to ask the Davao mayor himself. 

Duterte, peace and order

That Roxas and Duterte spoke about “peace and order” is timely, given renewed controversy over the Davao mayor’s alleged role in extrajudicial killings in his city.

Since time immemorial, Duterte has been linked to the so-called “Davao Death Squad,” a loose group of vigilantes in the city that targets criminals.

In an interview with a local television program, Duterte “admitted” his “links” to the Davao Death Squad, and challenged his critics, most recently the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) to file cases against him in Davao.

The HRW called on the Philippine government to probe Duterte for his alleged hand in extrajudicial killings in the city. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday, May 25, also called on Filipinos to stop “idolizing” Duterte, saying “killing is killing, and therefore, kung ina-admit niya (if he admits) that he is responsible for these killings, then he must be criminally liable.”

But Duterte has brushed these criticisms aside and if nationwide survey numbers are to be believed, voters are ready to do the same. – Rappler.com