What was supposed to be a festive celebration of Davao City’s 88th founding anniversary turned into a massive demonstration on Sunday, March 16, as thousands of supporters of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte used the Araw ng Dabaw as an opportunity to call for his release and return.
As many as 20,000 people joined the march as of noontime, according to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
The demonstrators, carrying banners and placards, transformed the annual celebration into a show of force, chanting for the return of the ex-president who served the city as mayor.
The protest, which included a prayer rally at the Rizal Park, near city hall, was a response to Duterte’s March 11 arrest and subsequent detention in The Hague, Netherlands, where he faces the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He is accused of being responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings resulting from his bloody war on drugs.
The pro-Duterte parade shows the growing tensions and the extent of influence of the former president in his hometown, where he served as mayor, vice mayor, and congressman on separate occasions before being elected president in 2016.
Old tantrums
During the protest, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte brought back a sentiment he aired in previous rallies in 2024 against the Marcos administration: the burial of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The former president ordered the late dictator’s burial at the cemetery for war heroes in his first term in 2016.
“Ang imong amahan gipalubong sa akong amahan pero akong amahan gipapriso nimu (My father allowed the burial of your father but you had my father imprisoned),” the mayor said in a speech.
Many family members of martial law victims, survivors, and progressive groups slammed the former president’s decision to allow the burial.
“Do not ever allow your government to treat you how they treated my father,” the Davao City Mayor added.
During Duterte’s presidency, at least 6,252 people were said to have been killed in police anti-drug operations. Human rights groups estimated at least 27,000 people were victims of vigilante-style killings during the war on drugs. – Rappler.com