Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who is running for president speaks before his supporters during his visit to Cebu City last Thursday. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Davao City Mayor and presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte asked Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma for prayers during his visit on Thursday.
“He simply asked me to pray for him which I will do,” the prelate told reporters yesterday.
Palma said Duterte also reiterated his apology for cursing Pope Francis in jest last November.
“He told me he was sorry for what he said and that there are many (cuss) words which he really didn’t mean. And I told him, I understand, that’s part of our human nature,” he said.
Palma said Duterte didn’t seek any political endorsement.
“And even if he did, I will not do it. We (bishops and priests) are not allowed to do that,” he said.
Asked to comment on Duterte’s stance on the death penalty, Palma said the Catholic Church would never support it.
“The Church has signified our stand against death penalty. We do not adhere to that,” he said.
If elected president, Duterte earlier said he will recommend to Congress to restore the death penalty by “hanging in public.”
He said the drug problem in the country has become a major threat to national security and that the best way to address criminality is to bring back the death penalty.
Sen. Alan Cayetano, Duterte’s running-mate, presented their platform of government to the media yesterday.
Cayetano raised three major points to achieve real change under their advocacy “Tunay na Pagbabago” — round-the-clock war against crime and corruption; inclusive economy through regional development; and equality under the law.
“The first thing we need is political will. Kamay na bakal (iron fist) to get rid of these problems,” said Cayetano.
He said there should be an all-out war against drugs in their first year of office.
On the inclusive economy through regional development, he explained and presented the P3-trillion 2016 national Budget in which Visayas and Mindanao were allotted a small portion of the budget.
Cayetano said Mindanao has been neglected despite its potential to spur economic growth.
They also promised to increase teachers’ salaries, subsidize the PhilHealth premium of farmers, transport workers, market vendors and the like and bring the rates down to P600 per year or 50 per month, and phase out contractualization, among others.