THE supporters of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who call themselves “Dutertistas,” will stage a rally in Cagayan de Oro this week to show the size of his following in Mindanao, his political adviser Lito Banayo said Sunday.
Dutertista is a term that was coined by Duterte himself, and it refers to the people who are pushing him to run for President in the 2016 elections.
Among the Dutertistas are prominent political personalities like former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., his son Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, former President Fidel Ramos, Senator Sergio Osmeña III, and former Cebu Governor Lito Osmeña.
Banayo made his statement even as former Butuan City Rep. Charito Plaza said Duterte was definitely running for President in May 2016, adding Duterte had not yet declared his candidacy because it was too early to announce it.
“While others have declared too early and have long been campaigning even from the time of their last election, it is inappropriate to use their office and peoples’ money for their illegal and premature campaigning,” Plaza said.
On Thursday last week, a caravan was held in Negros Occidental to convince Mayor Duterte to run for President in 2016.
The caravan was part of the Dutertistas’ efforts to urge Duterte to run and in preparation for a big rally in Davao on Aug. 28, said Jesus Hinlo Jr., a convenor of the Duterte for President Movement in the province.
Hinlo said they wanted Duterte to run for President because of his support for federalism, his strong campaign against criminality and his vision for the country’s progress through industrialization.
The Negros Duterte caravan was led by Salvador Benedicto Mayor Joemax Ortiz, Bacolod City Administrator Rolando Villamor, and private sector leaders Butch Ebreo, Bibit Puey, Toots Jimenez and Hinlo.
At least seven vehicles and many motorcycles joined the Negros caravan that drove through Salvador Benedicto, San Carlos City and the northern part of Negros Occidental to distribute leaflets about Duterte.
In Mindanao, former South Cotabato governor Mike Sueno said Duterte’s supporters decided to hold the rally as a “show of force” so that the mayor could finally see how much the people of the south were supporting his presidential run.