Duterte denies challenging Roxas to gun duel

 

Davao City mayor says 'killing 1,700' was exaggeration

MANILA - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Monday evening denied he challenged fellow presidential aspirant Mar Roxas to a gun duel.

Duterte also downplayed earlier reports saying he killed 1,700 criminals in Davao City, saying he was merely exaggerating.

The tough-talking mayor met with House Speaker Sonny Belmonte late Tuesday night to discuss his ongoing feud with Roxas.

Duterte said he was advised by Belmonte to "cool off" with his issues with Roxas.

After the dinner, Duterte told reporters that there was no truth to reports saying that he allegedly challenged Roxas in a gun duel.

The feud between the two presidential hopefuls started after Roxas said that peace and order is a myth in Davao. His statement caught the ire of the incumbent Davao City mayor.

In response, Duterte claimed that Roxas is not a graduate of the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

"You claim to have graduated from Wharton School of Economics. That is a myth -- you did not graduate sa Wharton School of Economics, Mr. Roxas. Wala doon sa listahan na naka-kumpleto ka ng 4 years o 5 years for a degree," Duterte said.

Roxas maintained that he earned his economics degree from Wharton.



CHANCES OF RECONCILIATION

Duterte is not closing his doors to a possible reconciliation with Roxas.

However, he insisted that Roxas started the verbal feud.

"I did not start the verbal hassle," Duterte claimed.

The city mayor also said that he is not expecting an apology from Roxas as a mere handshake would do.

"Hindi na kailangan (mag-sorry). Sa tunay na lalaki, basta i-abot lang ang kamay," Duterte explained.

Duterte also pointed out that Roxas previously cited Davao City for its governance, so his criticism of the city was unexpected.

"He was criticizing Davao. And at about 3 months before he resigned, binigyan pa nga ako ng good housekeeping award," Duterte explained.

ON ALLEGED EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

Duterte also took the opportunity to clarify that he was merely exaggerating when he said that he has killed 1,700 criminals.

"If my answer is ridiculous, eh sanay akong gan'un," Duterte said.

"Eh saan ko ililibing ang mga 'yun?" Duterte quipped, referring to the 1,700 he allegedly killed.

However, he confirmed he was involved in the killing of three rapist-kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Duterte admitted that he does not care at all if he gets disqualified from the presidential race.

"I said they can disqualify me for all I care. In the first place, wala talaga akong ambisyon maging presidente," he reiterated.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Esquire explains Mar cover photo on 'Yolanda' issue

MANILA - Esquire Philippines magazine finally cleared the air about its "Yolanda" issue cover photo featuring Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas after it drew flak from social media users.

Esquire posted on Facebook a copy of the cover of its latest issue last Thursday. The cover photo shows Roxas smiling, waving his hand while sitting on piles of wood. The caption beside the photo reads: "Hello from Tacloban."





Facebook users, especially those from the "Yolanda"-hit city of Tacloban, quickly reacted to the Esquire cover photo, calling it an "insult" and a "sick joke."

"Are you mocking us Taclobanons by putting that man's face on the cover?" asked Cecile Therese Dueñas.

"Is this a sick joke? You bring this cover to Leyte and we will burn it," warned Neil Warren Chu.

"The Warays will use the cover as toilet paper," Prospero Pulma added.

In response, Esquire on Sunday released a statement on Facebook, explaining their choice of cover the issue dedicated to "dignify the memory of those lost, and the pain of those left behind in Tacloban City."

The magazine said its writers and photographers revisited Tacloban in order to present the tragedy that are still ongoing after "Yolanda" and to also "sift the facts" on the government's response.

"Secretary Mar Roxas is on the cover as a symbol of the national government response. Nothing less or more. We were certainly not paid or persuaded to put him on the cover. (The photo itself was taken a year ago, at the Tacloban port; this was not from a specially arranged Esquire shoot and is not to be misconstrued as an endorsement.)" it said.

Esquire further explained that their goal in the "Yolanda" issue is to draw attention to the situation in Tacloban.



Last year, just weeks after "Yolanda" hit central Philippines, Roxas drew flak when he was caught on video telling Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, "You have to understand, you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino."

Roxas, in defense, said the clip was spliced and it was trying to deceive people.

After the incident, he and Romualdez engaged in word war which eventually ended at a Congressional Oversight Committee on the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management hearing.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com