Photos by MARIO IGNACIO
Video by JOHN FRANCES FUENTES
CROWDS estimated at hundreds of thousands swelled the Luneta Park in Manila, as well as the Crocodile Park grounds in Davao City yesterday, in support of the final campaign day of presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte, in Luneta for his miting de avance, stuck with his trademark campaign speech style and continued to reference killing criminals in the name of peace and order. (See Rodrigo Duterte: From latecomer to frontrunner)
He and running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano are running on a platform of suppressing drugs, criminality, and corruption within three to six months after election into office. They are also pushing for a move toward federalism.
The mood in Luneta was festive, with the crowd chanting “Duterte! Duterte! Duterte!” every once in a while.
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Video screens were spread out across the park so people did not have to throng near the platform where Duterte, Cayetano, and their senatorial lineup spoke.
Duterte’s profuse cursing was, as before, well-applauded.
In Davao City meanwhile, supporters from Panabo, Tagum, and Mati cities attended the event in the crocodile park in Maa.
Duterte is the mayor of Davao City, a post he has held for 22 years now.
At 5 p.m., the Philippine national anthem was sung simultaneously in Manila and Davao City events.
Organizers initially wanted to set a Guinness world record for the biggest number of people singing the national anthem, but failed to beat the record currently held by Bangladesh.
In his previous campaign sorties, Duterte has made use of the Philippine flag to emphasize some of the points he was making, even kissing the flag to profess his loyalty to the country.
Talking about the South China Sea dispute, he has said: “I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest point in South China Sea that is tolerable to them and I will ride a jet ski. I’ll carry a flag and when I reach Spratlys, I will erect the Filipino flag. I will tell them, suntukan o barilan.” (See Duterte’s cinematic solution to South China Sea conflict)
Duterte leads his rivals for the presidency in the most recent surveys. – Jake Soriano, John Frances Fuentes, and Mario Ignacio