Duterte and Sara ‘share the same strongman streak’ — Villarin

Now it can be said: President Rodrigo Duterte and her daughter, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio “share the same strongman streak.”

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin had this to say on Friday after the President admitted that Sara had a  role in the ouster of the Chief Executive’s closest ally at the House of Representatives, former Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.

READ: Duterte: Be careful with Sara, she can even oust the Speaker

“Now that the cat is out of the bag, there is no pretension that both father-daughter share the same strongman streak,” Villarin said in a statement.

The opposition lawmaker said this is something to worry about as the President and the Davao City mayor idolize late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

“Having the dictator Marcos as their idol makes them a tandem to be highly wary and worry about,” Villarin said.

He added that Alvarez was just a “pawn” in Duterte and Sara’s “power game of chess.”

“He played the part to the hilt trying to be promoted queen but checkmated,” Villarin said of Alvarez, the stalwart of Duterte’s ruling PDP-Laban political party.

But the lawmaker said it was unnecessary to drag the name of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat into the picture.

Duterte had said it was Romulo-Puyat who told him of Sara’s hand in the rise to the speakership of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“It was a conversation held in confidence between the two women that should be respected. President Duterte should have exercise discretion over such privileged communication,” Villarin pointed out.

Prior to the President’s revelation, many lawmakers at the lower chamber had already attested to Sara’s role in the ouster of Alvarez, whom she had a rift with in February.

This came after Alvarez allegedly tagged the Davao City mayor as being part of the opposition when she formed a regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago. Alvarez had denied this. /muf

READ: Solons say Sara Duterte played key role in Alvarez ouster

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