In a symposium pushing for a federal system of government before members of the Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) investors in this freeport,
Duterte started with a declaration that “I am not interested in the presidency.” To this, he added “I don’t want it at all.” Instead, he urged his audience to choose from among other Metro-Manila based presidentiables, citing Local Governments Sec. Mar Roxas, Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, Senators Grace Poe, Chiz Escudero and Allan Peter Cayetano.
Duterte’s repeated denial of presidential plans, however, made a swerve when, describing the presidentiables he cited all as being “good,” he added that if Filipinos would not find them acceptable, he suggested that they looked towards Mindanao where “I am very good.”
Then again, he ended his hour-long talk with an appeal to “leave me out; I am outside the group for presidency.” Between the first and the last statements, he repeated his lack of intention to seek the presidency at least three times.
The declarations, however, also seemed negated by the distribution of a leaflet titled “Takbo Duterte, Takbo!” which appealed to Filipinos to urge Duterte to accept proposals for him to seek the presidency in the 2016 elections.
The symposium on federal system of government was sponsored by CILA and was attended by some 500 participants, including stateowned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President- CEO Arthur Tugade who sat with him at the stage of the Mimosa Convention Center.
Conspicuous among those who attended was former Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon who seemed without company.
The leaflet said it was produced by the National Multi-Sectoral Alliance for Peace and Development.
But his visit to Angeles and this freeport was described by local folk as presidential. Duterte was welcomed and treated to lunch by Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda and Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and was heavily secured by police escorts with high-powered arms.
Duterte was also resource person in another symposium on federalism at the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City.
“I am not campaigning, I am not into the (presidential) hustings. I am here to talk about federalism. Some say I am using the federalism agenda to launch my candidacy. I am not interested in the presidency.
I don’t want it,” he said during the symposium here.
After citing reasons for his campaign for a federal system of government, Duterte again belied any presidential plan, saying “I am old.”
“To be truly of service to the country, one must embrace the presidency with passion. I don’thave this (passion). I
am old without energy anymore,” he stressed, adding that the energy he used to have when he first assumed post as mayor 22 years ago has been depleted.
He also said members of his family, including his wife from whom he had separated, are all against his seeking the presidency.
During the open forum, Duterte covered his head with a table napkin when someone from the audience said that the mayor would be able to better push Charter change for a federal system of government if he would be elected president and asked the audience to raise their hands in support of the mayor for president. Almost all in the audience raised their hands.
Duterte then repeated that he no longer had the passion needed for a president faced with mounting problems, including poverty and the lack of peace and order in Mindanao.
