DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mila, a staunch supporter of the Duterte family, believes Vice President Sara Duterte’s controversial statement to assassinate the president was meant to ensure her safety amid alleged threats against her.

“She made those remarks to make sure she can defend herself and ensure that she is safe. It is better that she said those words,” she told Rappler.

It was the “disappointed” Mila’s first time to join a rally in support of the Duterte family.

She was among the over a thousand supporters of the Dutertes who joined the candle-lighting ceremony and prayer rally at Rizal Park, Davao City on the evening of November 23.

The mobilization was a show of support to the city’s former mayor, who is at center of criticisms following her admission to hiring an assassin to target President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if an alleged plot against her materialized.

Despite Duterte’s active threat towards the president, Mila said the vice president still has her support.

“She is a good leader. I have seen how good the Duterte family is. She is the future of the Philippines,” she added. 

Mila, who voted for Marcos in 2022 because of his alliance with Duterte, said she supports the vice president’s leadership, citing the Duterte family’s accomplishments in addressing the perennial problem of illegal drugs and criminality in the country.

Joven Sambade, a 38-year-old resident of Talomo Proper, the rally was a way to stand by the vice president amid mounting controversies.

He argued that the assassination threat of Duterte was uttered “out of anger” and was plainly misunderstood by the public. 

“She was misunderstood. For me, as an ordinary citizen, there are threats against the vice president and that threats are politically motivated,” he said. 

If the vice president would be killed, Sambade emphasized it would be unfair to her not to be able to fight back.

“Her statements don’t really mean that they will kill the president. The Duterte family are not murderers,” he stressed.

Sambade also criticized Marcos for failing to deliver on his campaign promises, particularly his pledge to lower rice prices to P20 per kilo.

“As an ordinary citizen, I am frustrated. It seems that he doesn’t have balls to man up. He should keep his promises in the UniTeam but where is the UniTeam now?”

He believes that Duterte is being “unfairly accused” in the committee hearings in the Congress. 

He argued that Duterte’s affairs in three offices of the Vice President and her formerly-led Department of Education are within the courts.

Meanwhile, Paul Beltran, a 63-year-old resident of Barangay 39, said Duterte’s remarks are a reminder of her willingness to fight back against oppression from the Marcos administration.

He also pointed out that the vice president was just “fueled by anger” and frustration after being deceived by her election allies.

“She was just angry. We can’t blame her for that. She reached the peak of her anger and we can’t blame her for that,” he stressed.

Unlike the two, Beltran has called on Marcos to step down from his post and to never seek any public office.

“As a Dabaweño, we have not gained anything from Duterte. For three years, he hasn’t delivered anything significant to us though we trusted him in the elections,” he said. – Rappler.com

Rjay Castor is a community journalist and a reporter for the Iloilo-based newspaper Daily Guardian. He is also an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow at Rappler for 2024.