‘Baste’ flies to Singapore ahead of fight with Torre
DAVAO CITY—Two days before a scheduled mano a mano with the Philippine National Police chief upon his own dare, Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte flew to Singapore reportedly with some family members.
The tough-talking son of former President Rodrigo Duterte had criticized PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III in an episode of his podcast “Basta Dabawenyo” on Sunday, saying the official was only being “only brave [because] you have the position,” and challenged him to a fight.
Torre accepted the challenge on Wednesday and proposed turning it into a charity drive for victims of the recent floods.
On Thursday and Friday, photos and videos including by the PNP showed Torre doing 10 rounds at the Camp Crame Oval and training in the ring for his fight set at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
‘Monkey’
Duterte on Thursday made a video again taunting Torre, saying he had long wanted to beat up “a monkey.”
But the mayor also set a condition before he gets into the ring: that President Marcos order all his officials to submit themselves to a hair follicle drug test.
By Friday morning, as photos of Torre jogging in the rain at Camp Crame spread on social media, Duterte arrived in Singapore, according to a source who said the mayor’s trip had long been planned.
The National Bureau of Investigation also confirmed Duterte’s flight.
Backing out
The source said Duterte may travel next to The Hague, the Netherlands, where his father has been since March for the case he is facing at the International Criminal Court.
This was not the first time a Duterte had made a dare, only to back out later.
In May 2021, then President Duterte challenged retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to a debate on the South China Sea, only to change his mind and instead assign his spokesperson then, Harry Roque, to that debate. —WITH REPORTS FROM JASON SIGALES AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
