Duterte supporters in SF Bay Area hold prayer meeting for him

Participants in the interfaith prayer gathering in Hayward came from different places in Northern California in solidarity with other supporters of President Duterte. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

HAYWARD, California — Supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte in the San Francisco Bay Area held an interfaith prayer gathering to reiterate their unwavering support for him in the face of critical reports in the news media.

Catholic, Muslim and born-again Christian members of the Brotherhood for Duterte (BFD), Lex Taliones Fraternitas U.S. chapter, Digong Duterte Supporters (DDS) and even Bongbong Marcos (BBM) supporters gathered in a restaurant in Hayward as part of a “global show of support for President Duterte.”

Participants came from San Francisco and other Bay Area cities of Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Fremont, San Mateo, Brentwood and from as far as Sacramento, Oakley and Pittsburg.

Hayward resident Bong Aralar, North America coordinator of BFD USA and president of Lex Taliones Fraternitas Alumni Association in the United States said that the interfaith prayer meeting was held to allay some of the fears of US-based Duterte supporters regarding current happenings in the Philippines.

Leo Payba of Walnut Creek believes that the change is already here and that Filipinos, both in the Philippines and abroad, cannot afford to just “sit down and watch.” INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“This was borne out of some false media reports and also in reaction to attacks not just on the person of Duterte but also against his government programs and his fraternity as well,” said Aralar.

“There is supposed to be a political persecution happening in the Philippines with the arrest of Senator Leila de Lima, which is not true. That is far from reality. We can clear up these things through forums like these,” Aralar explained.

“It is a good to see many new participants who heard about us through social media and were able to come and hear us out. My goal right now is to organize them under one cohesive umbrella so that if we disseminate information, everybody hears the same things, we will be on the same page and avoid misinformation and disinformation,” Aralar added.

Digong Duterte coordinator NorCal Kelly Dayag (left) and North America coordinator of Brotherhood for Duterte (BFD) USA and President of Lex Taliones Fraternitas Alumni Association in the U.S Bong Aralar are among the organizers of the recent interfaith prayer gathering in Hayward in support of President Duterte. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

Aralar said they meet once a month. He said the prayer meeting was not timed for the 31^st EDSA People Power revolution commemoration and was just a coincidence.

“Let the President do what is asked of him in addressing graft and corruption and drug problems, among others. Give him time since he has only been on the job for only eight months. He may have said things that are offensive to some people including some of my own relatives who disowned me during the campaign,” Aralar said further.

“But now people are beginning to see the changes like being able to walk the streets safely and having streamlined government transactions. There were some hiccups in some of the appointees but they may be corrected and I think President Duterte is on the right track. And for the Philippines which has been in bad shape for the last 30 years, it is incumbent upon us to have a leader who has a strong will and hand to effect those changes for the betterment of the country,” Aralar explained.

As for the alleged extrajudicial killings, Aralar maintained that no president in his right mind would say “go kill everyone,” clarifying that what the president said to law enforcers was that it was within their right to defend themselves if someone was trying to kill them.

“Law enforcers don’t go after people just to kill them. And yes there those who are trying to take advantage by killing their own enemies in the guise of legitimate operations. What happens is that some drug dealers want to eliminate those who may turn or testify against them. We do not even know who they are. So instances when people are silenced are a necessary evil in legitimate law enforcement operations,” Aralar argued.

Former Alameda City law enforcer Joseph Ribo, who was in the Philippines and married a Davaoeña, was impressed with then-Davao City Mayor Duterte. He said some of the extrajudicial killings were done by people linked to drugs to eliminate those who may turn against them.

“I talked with local police officers, one from Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) and another from a town in Leyte. They claimed that the killings are done by criminals and members of law enforcement involved with drugs and are trying to eliminate their contacts. They are killing the supposedly criminal elements, which is not good as everyone is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Some police officers use the elimination of criminals as their stepping to stone for their own promotion,” Ribo said.

Former Alameda City law enforcer Joseph Ribo, an admirer of former Davao City Mayor and now President Duterte, said that some of the extrajudicial killings are being done by those linked to drugs to eliminate those who may turn against them. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

Kelly Dayag of Alameda and DDS NorCal coordinator agreed that it was just a coincidence that they had the interfaith gathering just as the EDSA Revolution event was being observed.

“This gathering is in line with the global event to renew or reinvigorate our support for President Duterte’s government and his governance. We have to make sure that he finishes his term because there is the threat of destabilization,” Dayag contended.

“Half of the people right now learned of the event through social media and they may have observed that during the first seven months of President Duterte, there were tangible changes like the increase in SSS pension, free health care and free college education in state colleges and universities. In less than a year in office, Filipino-Americans saw that some progress was being made. They came here to show their support for President Duterte. They want him to succeed because the success of the President is the success of the Filipino people.”

Dayag stressed that they want President Duterte to finish his term so he can implement his government programs. “We have to be proactive by continually engaging in defense of the president and by correcting news deemed inaccurate,” he said further.

Leo Payba of Walnut Creek chimed. “I know that the change we want is already (here) and we cannot sit down and watch. We have to pray, and while here in the U.S. we have to encourage our family and our friends there in the Philippines to support this new government.”

U.S.-born Dr. Peter Matel of Brentwood (left), who came with wife Maria (right), argues that the true democracy needed in the Philippines is when all sides can be heard no matter what you represent, just like in the United States. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

U.S.-born Dr. Peter Matel of Brentwood, whose both parents came from Indang Cavite, grew up and studied in Colegio de San Agustin in Makati. He was a classmate of Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas, and said he participated in the 1986 EDSA revolution. He believed these gatherings were needed to talk about how real changes could take place in the Philippines.

“I have been to People Power 1, 2 and 3 and there has not been much change. This is the change we need. This maybe a little drastic, but without true change, the oligarchs will still rule the country. That is why we are here in the U.S. because they have moved us out of the Philippines,” Matel, who came with his wife, Maria.

“True democracy should be more like what is here in the U.S. when all sides can be heard no matter who you are. It is not about your family name, it is about what you represent. My message is, please listen to all sides before you judge. Just like in a book, look at the inside not just the cover,” Matel said.