- Davao City mayor promises 15,000 sacks of rice to destitute farmers in Kidapawan
- He will ask his city’s local council to procure the rice through its calamity funds
- He also called for calm, says farmers and North Cotabato gov must sit down and talk things over
MANILA, Philippines – Even as tensions are still simmering over the bloody Thursday clash between farmers calling for government assistance amid a dry spell and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Kidapawan City, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he is willing to give the 15,000 sacks being demanded by the protesters.
“We will assist them just to help them tide over the crisis,” the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted him as saying.
According to the mayor, he will ask the Davao City council to procure the rice through the city’s calamity funds. He emphasized his assistance will be purely humanitarian in nature as he is prohibited from interfering in the affairs of another local government unit.
“I do not want to meddle because that is not within my territorial jurisdiction. I’m only mayor of Davao City but I said we can offer humanitarian assistance,” he pointed out.
“I was willing to go there, not for anything else, but to ask if I can help on the humanitarian side of the problem, that is to give the farmers food assistance,” he added.
Amid reports that more farmers are flocking to the United Methodist Compound where some protesters remain holed up after the clashes, Duterte called for calm and said dialogue should prevail over violence.
“I am calling for sobriety. We need to keep calm. The leaders of the farmers and Governor (Emmylou) Mendoza should talk about this,” he said.
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