PRESIDENTIAL candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he was excited and nervous to finally meet with the other aspirants for the presidency in a televised nationwide debate at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro Sunday.
Duterte said he was still wide awake even at past 3 a.m. thinking about what he was going to say.
He said he finally promised not to let “probinsiyanos” like himself down.
“I am very excited, but I am also very nervous. A very important day for me and for all of us. I am a probinsiyano, I will be representing Mindanao and the provinces,” Duterte said before the debate.
He said he was nervous because the other candidates appeared to have prepared well for the gathering.
“I am nervous because I know [the other candidates] are good,” he added.
But Duterte said he took heart because he was giving many Filipinos hope by running for president.
“I will not let Mindanao, the provinces and the entire Philippines down. I am the Filipino people’s last card,” he said.
He reiterated he join the presidential race because he was angered by the government’s neglect of the people.
The Duterte campaign’s political agenda entails ending corruption in the government, fighting criminal, maintaining peace and order and addressing the lack of education and massive poverty.
“I will stand there in defense of the future of the Philippines and the Filipino people. I promise to stand for you. I will never let you down,” he said.
According to the camp of Duterte, the Davao City mayor engaged some volunteers in a simulated debate on the night of Feb. 20 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.
Earlier, Duterte admitted that debating is not one of his strengths, that he is not that articulate and is not good at speaking when there is an imposed time limit.