Cayetano to Leni: Duterte is about order, respect of the law and equality

"Duterte stands for order not violence."

This was the response made by Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as he defended anew Davao City Mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

This was after Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Rep. Leni Robredo issued a statement saying that they were able to develop Naga City the same way Duterte improved Davao without subscribing to the mayor's brand of leadership.

"Many of those who are moved by Mayor Duterte's leadership are inspired by his achievements in promoting peace and good governance. They are certainly not advocates of violence as many of them are in fact victims of crime. What they want is a leader with bold solutions and swift action, a leader that will restore order, rule of law and equality. This is what Mayor Duterte and his brand of leadership bring," Cayetano said.

Cayetano, who is the running mate of Duterte, disagreed with Robredo's comparison between Davao City and Naga.

"With all due respect to Rep. Leni, I think she is wide off the mark on this one. Davao's crime volume is way below compared to Naga or Metro Manila, which are currently at alarming levels. This is despite Davao City being bigger compared to Metro Manila and Naga, and home to a diverse population composed of Christians, Muslims, other ethnic groups and groups of opposing ideologies," Cayetano explained.

"Instead of attacking Mayor Duterte, let's duly recognize his accomplishments, learn and find ways how his success can be replicated in other cities," Cayetano added.

Based on the latest data released by user-contributed survey site Numbeo, Davao is now the fourth safest city in the world with a low crime index of 17.94. The Police Regional Office (PRO) in Davao also reported a decrease in the entire region's crime volume from January to March this year as compared to the same period of last year.

Naga's crime volume, on the other hand, has reached alarming levels from January to July this year. On the given period, the city's total crime volume has reached 5,692, only a few points smaller than the combined total crime volume of the other five cities in Bicol (6,026). The city's high crime volume may be considered alarming, especially considering its population of only 192,193, which is relatively small compared to the combined population of 716, 963 of the other Bicol cities.

To effectively address the issue of rising criminality, Cayetano called for an end to "pointless political bickering" and instead work collectively in making the Philippines a safe place for Filipinos.

"Huwag na sana tayo mag-siraan. Let's just work together in making our country safe for our people. Ang kailangan ng bansang ito ay matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon. Hindi madali ang pagsugpo sa krimen at paghuli sa masasamang loob, pero nagawa ito ni Mayor Duterte sa Davao. Kaya rin niya itong gawin sa buong bansa," the senator ended.