BULUAN, Maguindanao – Like all the “Rod” shows, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was the undisputed star during the 40th founding anniversary.
The most exciting candidate in the May 9 elections was met at the landing site by close aides and Datu Apan Piang, PDP-Laban ARMM secretary-general.
Also coming out to meet him were residents across the landing area among them were children bare from the waist down, a common sight in one of the most neglected regions of the country.
The afternoon heat was merciless but few people seemed to notice when Duterte’s party arrived.
There was no doubt about the mayor’s star power as pandemonium broke loose the moment he stepped up the venue where he was mobbed by adoring supporters.
The emcee was making an announcement as soon as mayor’s convoy entered the gates of the Buluan town plaza but only the deafening chants of “Duterte! Duterte! Duterte!” drowned the sound system.
There was no doubt about the kind of welcome the crowd gave him as the chant went uninterrupted for more than five minutes, the decibels rising with each new start.
“Mabuhay ang Moro!” Duterte shouted thrice at the top of his voice, sending his audience into virtual delirium.
There was no breathing space at the stage crammed by security personnel, hosts, reporters and supporters.
Before Duterte opened his mouth, his audience moved closer to the stage and was virtually less than two arms’ length from his feet.
While he has gained rock star status as his recent sorties show, Duterte is even more respected in Moslem areas not only because he traces Moro roots but also because of the equal treatment he has given them in his city.
“I am the only one concerned with the problems of Mindanao,” he emphatically declared, his voice cracking at times.
The response was unanimous as many in his audience shouted with approval.
He hit the Aquino government’s half-hearted effort in pursuing the Bangsamoro Basic Law, saying he warned since the start that the former would only “dribble” it.
“We will replace this government because it has done nothing for the Moro people,” Duterte declared and the crowd roared in approval.
The mayor spoke shorter than he normally does not only because his voice was getting hoarse but also because he still had another engagement in Marbel, South Cotabato.
It was obvious though that his crowd already heard what they came for as they continued to chant his name as he stepped down the stage.
Duterte’s stock continues to rise by the day as the last card against illegal drugs, crime and corruption draws bigger and bigger crowds wherever he goes.
The Duterte phenomenon has baffled self-proclaimed political strategists and campaign veterans because contrary to long-held beliefs that national elections are won by air war, hefty war chests, well-oiled machinery and massive government, he is on the verge of proving that elections can be won with very little of this.
Instead, Duterte is riding on the crest of a nationwide disenchantment with incompetence, hypocrisy and arrogance.
The man who was the last to file his certificate of candidacy is on course to finish first in the wildest, most unpredictable and exciting presidential election the country has ever seen.
