- Davao City student who was raped defends mayor in open letter
- She was initially mad at Duterte for the slow pace of her rape case, confronted him at city hall
- She says her anger disappeared upon meeting Duterte because of his sincerity
- She calls on Filipinos to know Duterte as someone who is willing to fight for them
MANILA, Philippines – With the controversy over Rodrigo Duterte’s rape remarks still raging on, one rape victim has taken up the cudgels for the embattled Davao City mayor.
On his Facebook, Duterte stalwart Atty. Bruce Rivera shared a letter written by a Davao City student claiming to be a rape victim but who nonetheless is still supporting Duterte because of his sincerity.
According to the student who said she was raped in 2014, she became angry at Duterte due to the snail-paced investigation of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and went to city hall to confront him about it.
“Weeks passed, wala pa rin kasi hindi daw po taga Davao ang suspects at mukhang may kaya po talaga sila. Months passed wala pa rin. I was so scared. I was angry. Sobrang galit ako sa sistema ng justice sa Pilipinas. Nakakabaliw. Nagalit po ako kay Duterte so without my parents knowing pumunta ako sa city hall,” she said.
[Weeks passed, nothing happened because they said the suspects were not from Davao and they looked they were well-off. Months passed and still nothing happened. I was so scared. I was angry. I was so angry at the justice system of the Philippines. I was also angry at Duterte so without my parents knowing I went to city hall.]
Once there, she identified herself as a rape victim and proceeded to vent her anger out at Duterte who then kneeled in front of her and promised to give her justice. At that moment, she said she felt his sincerity.
“He kneeled in front of me and said ‘I will fight for you.’ I looked at him. I can see the grave(ness) in his eyes. I felt his sincerity. He continued and said ‘I will do everything. I will risk my life mahanap lang ang mga gagong gumawa nyan sayo [to find those idiots who did that to you].’”
According to the student, it dawned on her that Duterte was not just a mayor but also a father who would protect her and other victims.
“He is more than just a Mayor, he is our father. Duterte gave me hope. He gave us hope. Hindi niya po kami pinabayaan. Hindi pa din po nahuhuli yung mga bumaboy sakin pero mas kampante na po ako dahil alam kong may lalaban para sakin,” she said.
[He is more than just a Mayor, he is our father. Duterte gave me hope. He gave us hope. He didn’t abandon us. While those who violated me have not yet been caught, I am reassured that there’s someone who will fight for me.]
Ending her post, the student urged the public—especially her fellow women—not to be taken in by Duterte’s joke because he will really fight for each of them.
“Ipinaglaban niya ako. Ipaglalaban niya rin kayo,” she said.
[He stood up for me, he will stand up for you.]
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