Rain, mud not a deterrent to Duterte’s supporters

It rained when Richel Indino and her sisters waited for a ride to the Sugbo Grounds at the South Road Properties (SRP) to attend the thanksgiving party for President-elect Rodrigo Duterte yesterday afternoon.

By the time Richel, 28, and sisters Shiela, 25, and Lora Jaen, 23, arrived at the venue, they were already soaking wet. The rain forced organizers to delay the concert. But the Indino sisters didn’t mind catching a cold.

Braving the rains earned them a spot close to the cordoned area near the stage where the concert dubbed “One Love, One Nation” would be held and Duterte would speak.

“We don’t care about the rain or if we get sick. We will show our support to Duterte. We came here so we can see him,” Richel said.

Elsewhere, other Duterte supporters had to make do since they had no passes for the event.

Liza, a fruit vendor from Barangay Ermita, stood near the yellow railings since 3 p.m.

“I am a solid Duterte supporter. I believe (in his promise to rid the country of illegal drugs). I live in barangay (Ermita) where illegal drugs are a problem,” Liza said.

She brought a plastic bag where she placed her chips. Liza’s left wrist sported a “Duterte” baller.

When rain began to pour an hour later, Liza ran to an old building near the venue to take shelter.

When it stopped raining at nearly 6 p.m., she went back to her spot near the yellow railings.

The ground may be muddy but Liza said she didn’t mind waiting.

Another supporter, Reynante Noveero, brought small Philippine flags to sell at P20 each to attendees at the venue.

He also brought a medium-sized flag, with the blue field printed with the words “President Duterte”; the red field had the words “Sulong Pilipinas.”

Noveero also wore a black mask that read “No to drugs” and a black shirt that bore Duterte’s face.

He waved the flag outside the venue and shouted “President Duterte!”

Sylvia Andoy’s husband and their three-year-old child shared a meal of puso (hanging rice) and hot dogs as they sat on the ground outside the Sugbu building.

Andoy said she supported Duterte due to his campaign against illegal drugs.

The concert which showcased 20 local and national artists, was supposed to start at 4 p.m., but the downpour forced organizers to delay the start of the concert.

At past 4 p.m., only 100 persons were in attendance and they took shelter in the tents that were set up in the open field.

The 800 seats intended for VIP guests were also empty and wet.

Organizers had to cover the three LED screens that were put up on the stage and near the area where the general public could watch the concert.

The people started trickling in past 5 p.m. when the rain slowed down.

Doris Mongaya, one of the organizers, earlier said the concert would push through “rain or shine.”

She said they were not worried about the muddy puddles since the ground had been covered with crushed aggregates.

Organizers expected 50,000 supporters to show up in the concert, which was arranged to thank the Cebuanos for giving Duterte more than one million votes in the last election.

But the incoming President was not expected to arrive earlier than 9 p.m. He left Davao City for Cebu at past 4 p.m.

He arrived in Cebu on board a private plane at 5:05 p.m. and went directly to Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City to attend the wedding of the daughter of businessman Ding Borja, a friend of the incoming president’s daughter.

Mongaya said Duterte was scheduled to speak to the crowd the minute he arrives at the SRP at 9 p.m.

After the speech, Mongaya said there would a signing of the Cebu Alliance for Change, a commitment of parallel groups of the #CALL4Change that would monitor the implementation of pro-people agenda under Duterte’s administration.
#CAll4Change is an alliance of parallel groups that campaigned for the victory of President-elect Duterte in Cebu.

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