PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he would not stop his son Paolo from doing what he thinks is right, after he abruptly resigned as Davao City vice mayor.
“He asked me, and I told him, ‘You are in a position to do what is right. Do what you feel is right for you,’” the President said in Filipino.
“I said, ‘Well, let the people decide. But if you think that there is a better [way] to do it, do what is right.’ That’s all,” the President added.
Duterte said he never suggested to Paolo that he resign.
Duterte added that his son might have been fed up with all the issues that have hounded him recently, including his teenage daughter Isabelle’s controversial photoshoot at the presidential palace, and their public row on social media afterward, as well as insinuations that linked him to the smuggling in of P6.4 billion worth of shabu through the Bureau of Customs.
On Christmas Day, the presidential son resigned as vice mayor of Davao City, after a series of scandals involving him and members of his family that threatened to cast a shadow over his father’s administration.
“When I was growing up, my parents never failed to remind me of the value of the time honored principles of delicadeza and this is one of those instances in my life that I need to protect my honor and that of my children,” he said.
Paolo said that he takes responsibility for all that has happened as a result of a wrong decision to marry at a very young age—referring to his earlier marriage to Lovely Sangkola, with whom he had three children—Omar, Rodrigo II and Isabelle.
Only recently, Paolo had a very public row with his teenage daughter Isabelle on social media, after she accused him on Twitter of beating up a childhood friend.
Paolo and presidential son-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio were also dragged into P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China after Customs fixer Mark Taguba implicated the two, but later apologized for dragging them into the mess.
Davao City 3rd District Councilor Bernard Al-ag, who is the current majority floor leader of the 18th city council would replace Paolo Duterte as vice mayor, once the President formally approves of the decision.
Opposition lawmakers said the vice mayor’s resignation will not erase his alleged link to the shipment of shabu that was smuggled into the country.
“Removing himself from public office will not make questions on his alleged links to the Davao group and the smuggled P6.4-billion shabu shipment go away, “ACT Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said.
Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano shared a similar view.
“I respect the decision of Vice Mayor Polong to resign from his office due to the reasons he stated. It is his right to take certain action when he sees fit especially concerning a personal issue with his daughter. However, it will not erase the fact that the 604 kgs shabu shipment issue has not been addressed yet and the brains behind have not been identified and arrested,” Alejano said.
He added that the vice mayor’s resignatiom will not divert the fact that “while the Duterte family claims that they are poor and simple, Isabelle showed the opposite through an ostentatious display of wealth and power in photos on her Instagram account.
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Tuesday said government officials whose performance might suffer because of questions of corruption or personal problems should follow the lead of Paolo Duterte and resign.
VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez hit government officials who have stayed at their posts in the wake of controversies, such as their involvement in corruption. With Rio N. Araja