Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte recently took on a second job as a taxi driver. Renante Luna posted the photo of the Mayor in the said cab and posted it on ‘Davao’s Pride’ Facebook page. The said photo has gathered over 6,800 ‘likes’ and was shared in the social network almost 2,500 times since its posting on August 29th.
Duterte said that he moonlights as a taxi driver to get the pulse of the Davaoeños, fight crime, and to augment his income.
“Ang sweldo ng mayor ay hindi sapat! Kaya nag-drive ako ng taxi sa gabi. Para naman madagdagan ang kita ko… Totoo ‘yan: Hanapbuhay. (My salary as a mayor is not enough. That’s why I drive a taxi at night, so I’ll have additional income. That’s true: it’s a job),,” Mayor Duterte reportedly said in Cebuano.
Mayor Duterte, like all the mayors in the Philippines, earn about PhP60,000 every month. Duterte even reportedly said that since he’s not as well paid as a congressman, his salary as a mayor just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Aside from augmenting his income, Mayor Duterte also aims to get to know the thoughts of the Davaoeños about their city. He also plans to use his taxi driving abilities to fight crime.
“Ang totoo, gusto ko makita ang mukha ng Davao City. Nagmamaneho ako ng taxi tapos hihinto ako sa mga kanto, pero kung mang-holdap ka, malas mo lang (The truth is, I want to see the face of Davao City. I drive the taxi and stop by a corner, but if you get mugged, taht’s just too bad),” he said.
Mayor Duterte’s photo has earned not just thousands of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ but as well as commendations from his constituents and even people outside Davao. According to the comments, Duterte’s “no fear” reputation has been reinforced because of his brave new act.
“Kapag may nagreklamo sa akin, tulad ng ‘Mayor, maraming hold-up sa Bajada’, ‘yan iikot ako. Kapag meron akong makita, ah (When someone complains to me, ‘Mayor, there are a lot of mugging incidences in Bajada,’ I’ll go around that town again. If I see one, ah),” said Duterte threateningly in an interview with GMA7 primetime news program “24 Oras.”
He even added that any goons who had the unlucky fate of getting in his cab should think twice about what they’re doing if they don’t want to mess with him.
Before his taxi driving stint was publicized, Mayor Duterte also took his desk and chair outside — literally. On Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, a damaged transformer caused a blackout in his area and the fearless mayor decided to move out of his office for a day. He entertained a long queue of people and patiently listened to their complaints and requests personally.
With reports from Camille Diola and Rie Takumi