Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has decided to leave the country that all but nixed the boxing duel he was supposed to have with Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III in a boxing match, which had already been set on Sunday, July 27, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
While Torre has been preparing for the fight, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed on Friday, July 25, that Duterte already left the Philippines.
Citing a report from NBI-International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID) Executive Officer Marvin Villardo, NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago disclosed that Duterte flew out of the country for Singapore at around 7:10 a.m.
Santiago said Duterte took a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore and was accompanied by family members and his staff.
Duterte, who has been questioning the promotion of Torre, challenged the PNP chief to a boxing fight last July 20.
The acting mayor made the challenge due to Torre’s role in the arrest of Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte who is currently detained in The Hague for crimes against humanity charges he is facing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the extrajudicial killings that took place during the drug war.
Torre accepted the challenge as he explained that he will make use of the event as charity event that will benefit typhoon victims.