DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 Feb) – “You messed with the wrong girl.”
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio told House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez after he labeled the presidential daughter as an opposition for leading a regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. MindaNews file photo
In a statement on Thursday, Duterte said the newly formed regional party has a blessing of her father and even the use of the word “Hugpong,” apparently copied from Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (Hugpong), a local political party her father, then city mayor of Davao, founded.
In a news report on ABS-CBN, Alvarez, strongest ally of the President in the House of Representatives, denied calling the mayor part of the opposition.
The mayor chairs the Hugpong sa Pagbabago, which was co-founded by four governors of the Davao Region – Davao Occidental’s Claude Bautista, Davao del Norte’s Antonio del Rosario, Compostela Valley’s Jayvee Tyron Uy, and Davao Oriental’s Nelson Dayanghirang.
Duterte added she has no plans of joining the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
The Speaker’s pronouncement that he respects the creation of the new political group or that it is a non-issue did not sit well with the mayor, who said it has contradicted his comment on political dynasties.
“If the Speaker is attacking our effort to do something significant and timely for Region 11, and reducing it as a product of political dynasties, I suggest he pass the Anti-Political Dynasty Law,” she said.
Duterte, in her social media posts, lashed out at Alvarez for calling her part of the opposition when it was the Speaker who said he could impeach the President, and vowed she would release related story on Friday.
Friday was the scheduled HNP general assembly at 12 noon at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in the city with around 500 expected members attending.
“Ano sabi mo in a crowd, ‘President iba siya, Speaker ako, I can always impeach him!’ And you call me opposition? Somebody should really tell the President about the truth. Antay ka bukas, I have another story,” she said.
“Kung asshole ka sa Congress (If you are an asshole in Congress), don’t bring that to Davao, leave it in Manila. Somebody should tell the President what you are doing. How dare you call me part of the opposition. Kapal ng mukha mo (you are thick-faced). You messed with the wrong girl,” she added. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
