DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian Duterte said the issue of drugs in the city is "way more serious" compared to the accusations thrown against embattled Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy.
Duterte said in an interview with SMNI News right after the Hakbang ng Maisug rally in Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, July 28, 2024, that many problems must be addressed, especially in the Davao Region.
"Sa atoang lugar [sa] Davao Region, daghan kaayo tag problema nga atimanon... droga pareha ana. Ako ni-declare man ko [og] war on drugs nga as could be figuratively or literal pero ingon ko nag-declare ta ana, mas serious na siya nga problema compared sa unsa man nang gina-accuse nila of Pastor Quiboloy (In our area in Davao Region, we have many problems to take care of, illegal drugs for example. I declared war on drugs figuratively or literally, but I declared that. Illegal drugs problem is more serious compared to whatever they accused against Pastor Quiboloy)," he said.
Duterte said Quiboloy's case, which involves human trafficking and sexual abuse, "does not directly affect the lives of Filipinos or Dabawenyos."
The son of former President Rodrigo Duterte said authorities are only "wasting their time," calling it "inefficient" and a "grave abuse of power."
"They are hilarious. Kataw-anan ilang ginabuhat kay ingon ana sila ka-immature (What they are doing is funny because that is how immature they are)," he said.
Quiboloy has a P10-million bounty on his head, while his co-accused have P1 million each. They also face charges of sexual and child abuse before a Davao court.
Meanwhile, Duterte continues to criticize President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for lacking a clear platform to address domestic issues.
Duterte expressed his concerns during his "Basta Dabawenyo" show posted on his official social media page on Sunday, July 21, a day before Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address (Sona).
"Wala siya'y saktong plataporma. Wala siya’y plataporma na gina-address ang domestic issues karon (He has no proper platform. He has no platform addressing current domestic issues)," Duterte said.
The Davao City mayor attended the Maisug rally in Cagayan de Oro on behalf of his father.
Duterte has previously called on Marcos' resignation for prioritizing politics over the well-being of the people and accused them of befriending enemies of the previous administration. RGL
