Enough already, Mayor Duterte!

In reference to my letter (“Why people are drawn to Duterte,” Opinion, 4/2/16), I have decided, after much reflection, to withdraw my support for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s bid for the presidency.

The tipping point (in addition to the sexual remark he made on the Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, who was killed while ministering to “the least of My brethren,” which caused me many sleepless nights) was not Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ exposé of his BPI account. It was Duterte’s response.

First, he said there was no such account; then there was actually an account but with a few thousand pesos only; then there was actually an account but with less than P200 million which he did not declare in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth because they were all spent on “happy happy.”

To me, more than the staggering amount involved was the cavalier attitude he showed when he made those declarations. So? Just focus on his promise to get rid of the criminals and the drug problem in the country the way he did it in Davao?

Sorry, Mayor. To me, integrity is a deal-breaker as it must be the No. 1 requirement of a leader. To paraphrase President Manuel Quezon: “My loyalty to my President ends where my love for my country begins.” Regardless of the many faults of P-Noy, especially his seeming lack of compassion and misguided loyalty to his friends, his integrity was never questioned.

If not “The Punisher,” who then? Well, I am still praying about it. Meanwhile, I will focus in helping Leni Robredo, the only one whom I believe has the servant heart among all the other candidates for vice president. Her clear position that she’d prefer new faces in the next administration, regardless of party affiliation, is the kind of change our country needs.

It’s time to gather the best and the brightest. It’s time to step up and sacrifice for the sake of our country. (I’ve always wondered why those good candidates for president like Gilbert Teodoro never considered helping the winner and chose instead to become anonymous after the election. Such a waste of talent!)

Lastly, let’s vote not on the basis of a candidates’ winnability and popularity but on the basis of our personal convictions. It is not just for ourselves but for the generation after us that we are voting on May 9.

May God grant us wisdom for the sake of our beloved Philippines!

—ED DAMES, 23 Hernandez St., San Lorenzo Village, Makati City