DAVAO CITY, Philippines — In a recent episode of Basta Dabawenyo, Mayor Sebastian Duterte vented his frustration regarding the Davao City police and Police Regional Director Brigadier General Nicolas Torre II, even threatening to slap the general over what he called Torre’s “pre-conceived” narrative about the city.
Duterte, who expressed himself with seven curse words during the broadcast, reacted strongly to the recent reshuffling of police officers and the appointment of a new police director without his approval. He also criticized the newly introduced three-minute response time for police calls, labeling it unrealistic.
“Hawud man kaha ka? Pu– Lami-a sagpaon aning tawhana ni oi. Makit-an ko ni sagpaon ko gyud ni. Bag-o palang ni sa akoa sagpaon gyud naku ning put— Usa sa akong ambisyon sa akong kinabuhi ba nga nakasagpa ko og general… human na kog paminaw niya. Niabot siya diri nga naa siya pre-conceived nga narrative,” a visibly fuming Duterte stated.
(“Are you a master? I would be glad to slap this man. If I see him, I will slap him. He is new to me, and I will slap this guy. Is it one of my ambitions in life to slap a general? After listening to him, he came here with a pre-conceived narrative,” Duterte added.)
Duterte’s anger stemmed from the appointment of Acting City Police Director Col. Hansel Marantan, which he claimed was made without proper consultation. However, after Marantan paid him a courtesy call, Duterte softened his tone, saying in vernacular, “I will open my doors for him; he cannot do anything.”
“Di pareho ni Torre nga daghan na siya og yawyaw (he has already talked a lot),” the mayor added. “Even without presenting an analysis.”
By law, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) is responsible for preparing a shortlist of police officers from which local executives can choose. However, Torre informed the City Council that he personally recommended Col. Lito Patay for the position, but Camp Crame overruled his recommendation based on Section 26 of Republic Act 6975, which grants the Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) authority over personnel deployment.
During his appearance before the City Council on July 24, Torre explained that the newly appointed commanders, although from various stations in the Davao Region, are all locals or from nearby provinces. He believes this will enhance their understanding of local issues.
However, Duterte challenged this assertion, stating, “There was no theoretical framework or study presented” to justify the reshuffling or Torre’s assessment of the city’s peace and order situation.
“Three-minute response time? That’s absurd,” Duterte continued. “We cannot prevent crime everywhere; conflict is always present in the world. That’s the reality of life.”
The mayor remains convinced that the police reshuffle was unjustified and has expressed his desire to communicate directly through his own media team. This reflects the complexities of Davao City’s social dynamics and the customary courtesy calls that officials often navigate.
Citing historical context, Duterte remarked, “These men performed very well even before I came in. This individual, a general appointed as RD (Regional Director), comes here with his so-called intelligence and then concludes like that. I don’t know. They have a problem with me because they bypassed me; no problem. The issue arises when they come here with an agenda because you can never be sure of it. With the way Torre is behaving, if he is not foolish, someone is telling him what to do, and that is true. I can’t twist the story anymore because it will get bigger. If they use politics, we can’t do anything. That’s it.”
The mayor has been issuing statements on the government’s social media platform as the city government has its own media arm. In many instances, Duterte has perceived the media as biased.
There is however, the distinction between “media,” which refers to a medium that any office can create to publish content, and the working press, which consists of professional journalists independent of government influence.
The post Mayor Duterte threatens to slap Police General Torre over Davao City police reshuffling appeared first on NewsLine Philippines.
Mayor Duterte threatens to slap Police General Torre over Davao City police reshuffling
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