DUTERTE BEGS OFF AS ANTI-CRIME CZAR, CLAIMS PRESIDENT 'OVERRATED' HIM

DAVAO CITY -- Claiming he was "over-rated" by President Macapagal-Arroyo,
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday reiterated he prefers to be an adviser or
consultant than chief of the proposed Special Task Force on Anti-Kidnapping
and Anti-Illegal Drugs.

Besides, Duterte said in his weekly TV program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa
(From the Masses, For the Masses), he does not want to leave the people of
Davao City and that his heart belongs here.

The President announced she would name Duterte as head of the special task
force during the turnover of command of the Philippine National Police (PNP)
to Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane in Camp Crame last Thursday.

Despite his protestations, however, the mayor stressed that he could make
his greatest contribution in crime-busting and law enforcement.

A lawyer by profession, Duterte made a name for himself as a crime-buster
and tough-talking mayor of this city from 1988 to 1998. Before that he was a
prosecutor for 10 years before he was named OIC vice mayor by then president
Corazon Aquino after the 1986 EDSA 1 revolution.

Duterte was back in the mayor's seat in 2001 after serving as congressman of
the city's first district starting 1998. In his TV program yesterday,
Duterte said he could function better as a sumbungero (informer) that lives
up to the monicker of "punisher," which was given him by Time magazine in
its recent issue to highlight his successful crackdown on lawlessness and
rid the city of drug lords and drug dealers.

As such, the mayor said, he would be more confident in dealing with crimes
like kidnapping and drug dealing in Davao and southern Mindanao than go
around the country as special task force's boss.

At present, Duterte heads the Regional Peace and Order Council (RDC) of
southern Mindanao.

"Operational tasks are definitely out of the question," he said, adding the
job of a task force chief would entail a lot of travel as well as research
and study on the crime situation in a particular area.

"I am already old," the 57-year-old Duterte said.

He assured Davao City residents that he would never forget his
responsibilities as their elected mayor.

"I can't just disappear for a day or two to take care of problems in other
places," Duterte said. "Some (problems) will drop up (in Davao City during
my absence)."

The mayor recalled that the President had told him that she would call on
him to serve the country "soon" during her recent visit to Davao City.

But the President did not specify what job he was offering him until she
made the announcement during the PNP turnover ceremonies last July 4, he
said.

Duterte said he was surprised by the President's announcement and has since
been vocal about in lack of confidence in handling such a big task.

"I will let the President know that I have my own limitations, too," he
said.

Duterte admitted he does not have a complete grasp of the country's crime
situation, particularly illegal drugs and kidnap for ransom.

But that would not be a problem if the situation is limited to Davao City,
he said.