President Duterte holds Ilocanos in high regard, contrary to a supposed "rumor" about him.
The Chief Executive had this to say Monday, Nov. 22 as he led the inauguration of the completed projects at the General Santos City Airport.
"Karamihan ng Cabinet members ko puro Ilocano (Most of my Cabinet members are Ilocano)," said Duterte, who shared anecdotes before delivering his speech for the event.
"Ang sabi nga nila, ayaw ko ng Ilocano. Eh ngayon, tatatlong Bisaya na lang kaming naiwan dyan sa Gabinete. Puro Ilocano na (According to rumors, I don't like Ilocanos. But now, there are only three of us Visayans left in the Cabinet. The rest are Ilocanos)," he said.
"Because there is a--maybe a thing or a--mas marunong. At maaasahan natin (they know more. And are dependable)," said Duterte of Filipinos who hail from up north.
Duterte, 76, is more identified with Mindanao, being a former multi-term Davao City mayor. But he was born in Maasin City, Leyte, in the Visayas region.
Last week, the Chief Executive publicly endorsed for the first time the presidential bid of Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, a Dabawenyo. Go is running under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) party.
Curiously, vice presidential bet and presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is running alongside the Ilocos region darling, presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos, a former senator, in the upcoming May 2022 elections.
Duterte-Carpio is the newly-minted Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats) chairperson, while former Senator Marcos is a Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) stalwart.
Although the May election wasn't really a topic of his speech, the elder Duterte had glowing things to say about Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who according to reports flirted with a senatorial run.
"He is good. Maniwala kayo (Believe me)," the President said of Bello, an Ilocano.
"I'm not trying to glorify him before you. May tatakbo nang senador (There's someone running for senator) but that is beside the point. Inyo na 'yan (That's up to you). But you have a very good man dito sa trabahante (here at work)," Duterte said.
"He has served so many presidents and I can assure you...hindi ako nangangampanya. Basta mahusay, mahusay 'to. At bahala kayo kung ano ang gusto niyo (I'm not campaigning. But he is good, this one is good. You do what you want, it's up to you)," he noted.
Bello, who hails from Isabela, opted not to file a substitution for an aspiring senatorial candidate during the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last month.