Duterte to meet local, foreign business execs

Davao City Mayor Rordigo Duterte. Screengrabbed from INQUIRER.net video

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will be facing business executive from the country and those from the Asia Pacific region during a special luncheon event in “Binay country” on June 25.

In a statement, the Asia Chief Executive Officer Forum said business chief executives will “hear one of the most successful Philippine mayors of our era” during the event to be held at the Makati Diamond Residences.

Duterte, who has been on a listening tour for his federalism advocacy, was tapped for the event because he “is credited with transforming what was called the “Murder Capital of the Philippines” into one of the most livable and peaceful cities in Asia, according to various rankings.”

READ: Davao City ranks as 9th safest in the world

“He has been re-elected by strong margin in every election he has run since 1988,” the Asia CEO Forum, which is spearheaded by PLDT Alpha Enterprise, said.

“Rodrigo Duterte is easily one of the most popular leaders in our era. His willingness to take extreme personal risks to make positive changes for others makes him unique among elected officials of any nation,” the Asia CEO Forum added.

Aside from business matters, Duterte is expected to answer the lingering question of whether he would run in the 2016 presidential race, the Asia CEO Forum said. He had been coy about his political plans but is being pushed by various sectors for the presidency.

READ: Duterte: I might run for president if I beat VP Binay in surveys

The country’s business executives had repeatedly warned that a bad choice in the coming Presidential elections could loosen a decade of progress and send this generation of Filipinos back to squalor.

“While they are impressed (by) Duterte’s governance that propelled Davao City to having a vibrant economy and had raised living standards, they want to assure themselves whether Mayor Duterte can do for (the entire) Philippines what he did for Davao,” a statement from Duterte’s camp said.

As in the past, the June 25 Asia CEO Forum was expected to attract between 250 and 350 participants, mainly senior management representatives from the Philippines and across Asia aside from senior officials from the government and various industry organizations.

On its website, the Asia CEO Forum claimed it “is the largest regular business event in Philippines and considered one of the most important in the Asia Pacific region.”

It also functions “as an activist to promote the activities of local and multinational organizations across Southeast Asia.”