By Raymund B. Villanueva
Social media and the corporate press are abuzz with the anticipated fisticuffs between Davao City acting mayor Sebastian Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Nicolas Torre III. Some parties dub it a “charity boxing match,” proceeds from which shall be donated to victims of the Typhoon Crising-worsened flooding throughout Luzon and Panay Island.
In a podcast (while the country is drowning) Baste challenged Torre, saying “You are only brave if you have the position. If we had a fistfight, I can take you on.” This outburst was no surprise. A fisticuffs challenge from the younger Duterte is “mild” compared to what his father is being accused of having committed: prolonged mass killing, done gleefully and admitted proudly.
Baste’s open beef with Torre probably started when the PNP chief led the search and arrest of long-time Duterte ally and accused human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City at about this same time last year. It needs no stretch of imagination to think that the Dutertes tried to talk Torre out of the arrest, but the police officer had a bigger boss to abide to. It was again Torre, PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief, who arrested former president Digong who now languishes in prison in The Netherlands awaiting trial for thousands of extrajudicial killings when he was mayor and president. Baste’s anger against the general is so deep he could not help but fire potshots when Torre was made chief PNP. Unfortunately for Baste, it was deftly replied to by Torre who retorted he was a two-star general when promoted to top rank while president Duterte’s first chief PNP was a “mere one star general.”
Torre, not wanting to be seen as a coward, readily accepted Baste’s fisticuff challenge. “Nasa kanya na ‘yon. Anytime, I am ready,” he said. He added they can do it under the Queensberry Rules as early as Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. Later, Torre said the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum is being readied and some sponsors have already bought into the event. (A casino is rumored to have offered to host the spectacle as well.)
Social media and the corporate press next exploded with clips of both Pacquiao wannabes training, looking not too shabby actually. The clips strongly suggest that the fisticuffs-disguised-as-boxing would not be another of those lame “celebrity matches” that are over after a dozen jabs, a couple of wild swings and a few seconds because the combatants are already gassed up. It looks like both Baste and Torre are no strangers to gyms. It turns out, the general was a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Boxing Squad in his cadet days. But Baste would have size and age on his side.
On Thursday afternoon, Baste doubled down on the insults. He reportedly said on his podcast page: “If you’re really serious about this, kung gusto mo yung charity na yan, and you’ve laid some conditions, then let me lay my own conditions for the event.” Baste said he will fight Torre if he would convince President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and all other elected officials to have a hair follicle drug test for all elected officials. “Huwag kang mag-alala, Torre, kasi matagal ko na talaga gusto maka-bugbog ng unggoy,” Duterte added.
Now, is the acting mayor laying down predicates to prevent the match from happening? He definitely knows that Torre won’t ask his boss to submit to a hair follicle drug test and Marcos Jr. won’t ever allow himself to be subjected to such a test. (“Ano siya, bale?” Marcos Jr.’s supporters are expected to ask.) So, if Baste’s condition isn’t met, will he no longer show up to the match that he asked for? Will there be a repeat of the time when then mayor Digong did not show up to a gun duel that he asked for against broadcaster Waldy Carbonel in 2003? Like father, like son?
I am not for Torre on this one. I am the journalist who broke the story that his CIDG arrested an innocent person in Prudencio Calubid Jr. after all. That same Torre-led CIDG has yet to explain where (and who) the P8 million bounty went to. I won’t be betting on him nor party boy Baste who has nothing worthy to show as Davao City chief executive himself.
Kodao board chairperson and journalism professor Danilo Arao has advised against covering the match or the combatants’ statements, especially while the country is still dealing with the rains and floods. I thought of not writing this anymore, but I went ahead nonetheless.
My reason is plain. Baste and Torre are supposed public servants who should be spending all working hours dispensing service. Because of their so-called boxing match, and their long-held grudges, they’ve spent time training and taking potshots on what is probably official time while receiving salaries paid for by public taxes.
As a taxpayer, I wish the fisticuffs to happen. I wish the boys get black-eyes and bruises so bad it would take them weeks to heal. I wish their mouth guards won’t work and several of their teeth would fly far out the ring. I wish them broken noses and jaws it would require expensive metal implants to put them together again. I wish them cracked ribs and collar bones so painful they would need the help of caregivers to wash their asses clean for months to come. I wish them busted livers and spleens after the first round. I wish their kidneys to be near falling off after the second round. I wish them carried off the ring in stretchers, oxygen masks shoved on their faces, after the match. I wish they would very near kill each other.
So, they should train harder and make sure the event of the year happens on Sunday. #
