Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III refused to entertain further boxing challenges from acting Davao City mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte after the latter failed to show up at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, July 27.
Torre ended up as winner by default in a charity boxing match the PNP organized after Baste—youngest son of former president Rodrigo Duterte—publicly dared the police chief to engage him in a combat sport.
“I have a lot of work and this is not worth responding to,” Torre said when asked if he would still entertain a future challenge from the mayor, who fled to Singapore with his family last Friday.
“We exerted a lot of effort in this event. I don’t think he is worth responding to at this point. We should just let him be in his own world,” the PNP chief noted.
Torre said there is nothing more to discuss because things have been said and done, adding it is illogical on his part if he continues to listen to Baste’s statements.
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I wonder what kind of supporters he has, knowing he doesn’t stand by his word. We will not align ourselves with those he deceives,” Torre said.
Baste recently claimed that he could beat up Torre in a boxing match, but the former laid out several conditions first before taking action on the challenge he proposed, which the PNP chief accepted.
Torre in collaboration with private sponsors went on to organize Sunday’s charity boxing event with proceeds from the activity to be donated to the victims of recent calamities.
According to the PNP chief, they generated a total of P300,000 from ticket sales and P16-million more in pledged donations.
