Leaving a debt-free Davao City, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Thursday bade her city and constituents goodbye “for a bigger challenge…for our beloved country.”
Duterte made the remarks in the recorded impassioned valedictory and State of the City Address (SOCA).
Duterte recalled that in 2016, after a brief respite from politics, “I was once again called to take on the challenge to serve Davao City as mayor that year. It was the same year when the Philippines elected Davao’s beloved mayor, Rodrigo Duterte, to the presidency.”
“My 2016 return to City Hall allowed me to revisit the first time you confidently elected me to become your mayor in 2010. It was a victory that is now known as the biggest election landslide victory in the history of our city,” Duterte said.
She said it was also the first time the city elected a woman as its mayor.
“They say it’s hard for us to break the glass ceiling — but in Davao City, where we say ‘Life is Here’, we have been breaking that glass ceiling all this time. When I was elected as the youngest and the only woman as mayor of our city, it was a historic moment not only for me, but for every Dabawenya who dared, worked hard, and succeeded,” she said.
Duterte added that hard work is the secret ingredient to success.
“I leave you with a city buoyed by a stronger economy, a stronger citizenry, with programs and services institutionalized to ensure continuity – a city that has so much more potential for greatness. And I am confident that whoever will lead the city in the coming months will be able to sustain, if not surpass, what we have achieved, and take Davao City even higher,” Duterte said.
As she faced challenges ahead, she said she is inspired by the “indomitable spirit of the Dabawenyos – young and old, rich and the needy, men and women – who refused to give up and surrender to anything that comes our way to stop us from achieving our dreams.”
Duterte thanked her family “for the never-ending support,” as well as officials of the city and other agencies she has worked with, the private sector, sectoral groups, the diplomatic community, the police and military, and her constituents.
“Dabawenyos desire the best and serving you is like serving a god that can never be pleased. My work gave me nightmares and mental anguish but it’s been an honor – a great, great honor – to have been chosen by you. And it’s been a pleasure to make not only memories with you — but also history,” Duterte said.
The newest Pulse Asia survey showed that six weeks (excluding Holy Week) before the May 9 elections, the Lakas-CMD vice presidential candidate had a voter preference of 53 percent.
Her UniTeam standard-bearer, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was chosen by 60 percent.
In her State of the City Address, Mayor Sara said the city government received 118 awards and citations for its efforts in various facets of governance and service from 2016 to 2021.
“These accomplishments were not achieved overnight; these were the product of decades worth of hard work – the hard work not only of the local government but of every honest, disciplined, responsible Dabawenyo doing his best to provide for his family,” she said.
Duterte said Davao City has emerged as one of the best cities in the country today.