“Wala ko namulitika. Mintras akoy mayor sa Davao, ok mo. Karun, maayo na lang gani kay ang ginoo gihimong mayor akong anak, ok na pud mo. Karung moabot nga eleksyon, di nato masulti. Wala koy kontra pero kaning tanan, Inshallah. (I’m not politicking here. As long as I’m mayor here of Davao, you’re okay. It is good that God made my daughter mayor, so you are also okay. Now that elections are near, we cannot say. I may not have opponents, but all of these, I say, Inshallah, meaning God-willing),” he addressed the families.
By CHERYLL D. FIEL
Davao Today
Davao City, Philippines — On the 10th year commemoration of the Sasa Wharf bombing, acting Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte assured the city’s financial support to the victims’ families, as long as he remains head of the city.
Duterte joined families in a commemoration of the bombing which killed 17, including children, and injured 56 others ten years ago.
“Wala ko namulitika. Mintras akoy mayor sa Davao, ok mo. Karun, maayo na lang gani kay ang ginoo gihimong mayor akong anak, ok na pud mo. Karung moabot nga eleksyon, di nato masulti. Wala koy kontra pero kaning tanan, Inshallah. (I’m not politicking here. As long as I’m mayor here of Davao, you’re okay. It is good that God made my daughter mayor, so you are also okay. Now that elections are near, we cannot say. I may not have opponents, but all of these, I say, Inshallah, meaning God-willing),” he addressed the families.
The city is supporting some 222 families of the bombing victims spending a total of 3.981 million pesos in educational assistance to the children of the victims. The mayor said 18 of them have finished college.“Nalipay kog dako bisan tuod wala na moy amahan ug inahan, nakagraduate mo (I’m glad that even if you no longer have fathers or mothers, you have graduated),” he told them.
Duterte reminded the families that this is not his personal money they are receiving but the city’s. But he assures he will do all in his capacity to support them, “Kay total naa pa ko tulo ka tuig ko. Makasustini pa ko, (I still have three more years, so I can sustain this.)”
Duterte turned somber upon recalling the incident saying, “Kung naay lider nga daghang gasgas sa kasingkasing, ako, (If there is any leader here with the most scars, that would be me),” pointing out that in his 19 years of being the mayor, he saw through three bombings that rocked the City.
A bomb struck San Pedro Cathedral on December 27, 1993, killing seven people and injuring 151 others, 32 of them seriously. The bombing of the old Davao airport in Sasa which took place a month prior to Sasa wharf bombing on March 4, 2003 killed 20 and injured 146 others.
Duterte allayed fears of possible repeat of such incidents saying, “Hinaut pa unta… Ang Davao ok na. Ok na. Kung magpabilin ang mga sabot-sabot nga istorya ug mo-hold na…ayaw lang ang Davao…(I hope not… Davao is okay now. If talks would hold… just spare Davao).”
He said he had talked with MNLF Chair Nur Misuari, and “everyone.”
“Mao ning military moingon ngano ni si Mayor… Ayaw mog samok samok nako, total.. maayo lang mo sa bala ug pusil, di ninyo kayang mag-underground og istorya. Dili ninyo na trabaho, pasagdi lang ko (That’s why the military would ask why I am doing it, I’d tell them, don’t fuss with me. After all, you’re only good with bullets and guns, you cannot deal with underground talks. That’s not your job, just let me be),” he said.
Asked by reporters later after his speech if justice has been served the victims of the Sasa wharf bombing, Duterte replied, “This is a war of attrition, used to be a war of attrition, so no specifics but I think government was able to consolidate the forces and stabilized the situation.”
He said it was “purely terrorism” and so there are no particulars in terms of identity of suspects, to speak of.
One Toto Akman a suspect in the blast has been sentenced to reclusion perpetua or life sentence in 2010 by a Regional Trial Court here for direct participation in the bombing.
The RTC 12 under Presiding Judge Pelagio Paguican ordered Akman to pay the casualties a total 4.125 million.
Akman, along with five others, was also reportedly suspected of being involved in the March 4 Davao Airport Bombing but was acquitted by Judge Paguican over failure of the prosecution to present enough evidence to prove guilt. (Cheryll D. Fiel, davaotoday.com)
