DAVAO CITY – For incoming Vice President Sara Duterte, it will be a challenging start for the administration of Mayor Sebastian Baste’ Duterte as he will be confronted with major issues on rising prices of basic commodities caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
During her program over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Monday, the vice president said that the term of her brother is ‘quite peculiar’ amid the challenges brought about by external factors that are seen to drive the inflation higher.
She said the ongoing Russia-Ukraine armed conflict would further dampen the purchasing power of the Filipino families as the salaries and wages of ordinary workers might not increase at a level that would help them cope with the inflation.
She assured her brother that the Office of the Vice President will be open to provide him support.
“I want to reassure him that my office on July 1 will be available for him if there is anything that he wants to consult on, and to assist him in the delivery of services for our City of Davao,” she said.
Duterte believed that her brother could run the city well as he is not a first-timer, having grown up in a political family and served as vice mayor from 2019 to 2022.
“What Dabawenyos want is very simple – Dabawenyos want a livable city where they can live, work, and play in a peaceful, environment-sustainable, and safe city,” she said.
She hopes the incoming mayor would continue and prioritize those programs that made the city competitive such as infrastructure, economic development, and good governance.
The 34-year-old Baste, who took his oath at the Sanggunian Panlungsod before Court of Appeals associate Justice Loida Posadas-Kahulugan on Monday, vowed to prioritize economic recovery and poverty alleviation.
He said he would prioritize food security and agricultural modernization, emphasizing the need for research and innovation to address issues in this sector.
“We will continue to advance the welfare of our local farmers and fisherfolks by providing them with agricultural inputs and technologies to boost their production,” he said.
He also said that he would also continue the peace and order programs to ensure ‘that Dabawenyos can go to work, attend school, roam around the city, and go home to their families safely everyday.’